Broken Promises
by Sassy Southpaw
Summary: Ichigo's already in over his head; the arrival of a stranger makes his life even more complicated. Sasuke wasn't sure he wanted redemption, but when he's thrust into a strange new world, he'll need Ichigo's help to get back before Madara finds him first.
1. Revelations

**Author:** Sassy Southpaw

**Story Title:** Broken Promises

**Genre:** General/Action/Adventure

**Summary:** Ichigo's already in over his head; the arrival of a stranger makes his life even more complicated. Sasuke wasn't sure he wanted redemption, but when he's thrust into a strange new world, he'll need Ichigo's help to get back-before Madara finds him first.

**Spoilers:** This story contains spoilers for Naruto up to the most recent manga chapters. It also contains spoilers for Bleach up to the Rescue Arc.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or Bleach, nor am I making any profit from this story. The rights belong solely to Masashi Kishimoto and Tite Kubo.

**Chapter 1: Revelations**

_"Seeking to forget makes exile all the longer; the secret of redemption lies in remembrance." -Richard von Weizsaecker_

Sasuke knew he was dreaming the minute Uchiha Itachi appeared before him. He didn't think he'd pass out from the pain of transferring Itachi's eyes into his own, but his previous battles against the Raikage and Danzou, along with his short encounter with Naruto had left him completely drained. He would never admit to anyone the pang of fear he felt after overusing Susanoo, how everyone went from being a bit of a blur to just vague outlines.

Losing his ability to see was something he never wanted to experience first-hand again. The minute he left with Madara, he requested Itachi's eyes be implanted immediately. Madara honored his request and now here he was, standing face-to-face with his brother, surrounded by nothing but pure white abyss.

They both stood there, unmoving. Sasuke wasn't sure how to react to his brother after spending nearly his whole life loathing him. Itachi's claim that it was all an act to protect him sounded like the kind of made-up bedtime story parents would tell their children so there was a happy ending.

Sasuke didn't believe in happy endings.

His train of thought was broken when his brother began to move towards him. The eyes that stared at him were not the menacing sharingan red he was so used to looking at, but instead the normal Uchiha black. It almost looked as if there were sorrow in those eyes, and it made Sasuke uncomfortable.

"Don't come any closer," Sasuke said, still wary of where this dream might be heading. For all he knew he was about to be attacked.

"I'm not here to fight you, Sasuke," Itachi replied, as if he could read his thoughts. He took advantage of the silence and continued, "Since I'm able to converse with you right now, I believe it's safe to say that you had Madara implant my eyes into yours."

Sasuke stood in silence, allowing a small nod.

"You may think this is some crazy dream, but when I touched your forehead before I died, it did more than create a defense mechanism against Madara and enable you to use the Mangekyou and all of its abilities."

Sasuke remained unmoving, content for now to allow Itachi to explain the situation to him. Perhaps he had some special knowledge of the sharingan that he could pass on to him. It would make his new goal of destroying Konoha and the village elders that much more achievable.

"I left some of my chakra within you so that if things were to go wrong, and you decided to use my eyes, I would be able to speak with you one last time to see why things went awry. This was the only way we could speak face-to-face, and I can finally find out why you've made so many foolish decisions in such a short amount of time."

Itachi's sudden verbal attack surprised Sasuke. Surprise rapidly turned to anger; he'd be damned if he would stand quietly and let Itachi continue criticizing him.

"What the hell are you talking about? All of the decisions I've made were for _you_! To avenge you and all of the sacrifices that Konoha and the elders forced you to make! I've already gotten rid of Danzou, but it's not enough. It's not even close! I won't stop until they're all _dead_!" Sasuke didn't bother lowering his voice. This rage he felt was attached to a short fuse. It sometimes felt like anything was able to set it off these days.

"This is the very reason why I never wanted you to know the truth. It was always my plan for you to kill me in order to get your revenge and finally be free of the anger you've carried with you since that night. Madara has taken advantage of your anger and molded it to his plans. You may think all of these decisions have been your own but in reality, they're all the things Madara wants you to do so that he can achieve his ultimate goal." Itachi's voice was calm, unaffected by Sasuke's outburst.

"Bullshit!" he yelled, anger unabated. "I'm doing this because I _want _to! Madara is only giving me what I need in order to achieve that. I'm using him like I did Orochimaru. Once he has nothing left to offer me, I'll go on my way and finish my own goals by myself."

"You are still so naive, otouto. Madara will not simply let you go off to do whatever you want. He'll dispose of you if need be, and he'll do it without breaking a sweat. My wish was for you to live a peaceful life, your appetite for revenge finally sated, maybe even returning to Konoha and to your friend, Naruto."

Sasuke couldn't help but twitch at the mention of Naruto's name.

"Naruto means nothing to me," he spat, unable to control the shaking that began spreading through his body. "That village and all of the people in it are nothing but annoying hindrances! Naruto is no better. All he cares about is his precious village and becoming the Hokage. It's a fool's dream, because I intend to kill him and anybody else who dares to get in my way!"

But as he spoke those words, memories of their recent encounter flooded into his head. When they exchanged blows, Naruto had claimed to be able to see inside of his heart, and asked him if he saw what was inside of his. Sasuke had refused to give him an answer, because he was afraid it would betray his current intentions. From what he saw there were two separate pathways he could take. One, like Naruto had said, would lead to the both of them dying in an epic battle against each other. The other...

"You may speak those words with venom and loathing, but we both know that's a lie. You continue to guard your emotions and allow no one to get through. Naruto, for a time, was able to replace me as a brother to you, until your drive for revenge overcame you and you pushed him and everyone who had any sort of emotional connection with you away. You want so desperately to believe that you severed that connection completely, but it's still there. You just refuse to accept that."

Sasuke was growing more and more annoyed with his brother. How dare he stand here and lecture him about his life-what did he know?

"It's not like I wanted to be like this! You stand there and act like you've been around all of these years! You may have sacrificed everything for Konoha, but you're still to blame for why I ended up like this! I lost my family, I lost everything, and you lead me to believe that you were some murderous bastard who left me alive because I wasn't worth killing! Why didn't you just kill me too? _Why?_"

Sasuke couldn't contain himself. Emotions were flooding out of him all at once as if a dam had broken and he didn't know how to stop it. He felt something warm falling down his cheeks and touched his face with his hand. He was crying. Why the hell was he crying?

"I understand your frustrations, Sasuke. I do not deny the role I played in how you have turned out. I wanted you to become strong so that you were able to face anything that came your way. Had I known it was going to cause you this much pain, this much confusion, maybe killing you would have been for the best."

Sasuke stood there, shocked at his brother's words.

"But you're my little brother, Sasuke, and I swore to myself that I would never let anything bad happen to you, that I'd always protect you. I did all of this because I love you, Sasuke." Itachi's voice broke at those last words.

It was barely noticeable, but Sasuke was able to catch it as he stood there in stunned silence. Legs unable to support him anymore, he fell to his knees, tears flowing freely at the words coming out of his brother's mouth. Madara might have told him everything, but to hear it from his own brother, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.

"If you really want to avenge me, Sasuke, destroying the one thing I sacrificed everything to protect isn't the answer. Madara is dangerous. He's coming closer and closer to reaching complete control of the great nations and everyone is going to need to work together to stop him. This includes you, Sasuke. Killing Madara will bring peace among everyone, and the wars will stop. Believe that you can finally be free from your anger, and it will become so. Make my death mean something by finishing what I started."

Sasuke watched Itachi as he knelt down to his level. He didn't move when Itachi wrapped his arms around him in a hug. Several seconds passed before Sasuke felt his own arms, as if they were moving independent of the rest of his body, return the hug with a fierceness he'd never felt before.

"I'm sorry, nii-san." Sasuke whispered the words, and it was as if an unbearable weight was lifted off of his shoulders. The confession prompted him to think of the other path he had seen after exchanging blows with Naruto.

That path had shown him back in Konoha, united once again with his friends. He had looked...happy. Could that really be a reality for him? For so much of his life, all he had known was anger and betrayal. All he wanted was revenge. He rarely let himself smile or be happy because it made him weak, which would make his goal unachievable. But maybe...

Maybe he could finally be happy with his life. He could let go of his revenge and focus on rebuilding the Uchiha clan. Was it really that simple, though?

"You're still pure, Sasuke. Don't let someone like Uchiha Madara influence you to do his bidding. You've become a pawn in his plot for revenge against Konoha. He feeds off of your anger and desperation, and uses it to his advantage. Don't let him win. Don't let him get what he wants, because he is coming dangerously close to getting just that."

Sasuke released his brother and both stood up. Sasuke hastily wiped his wet face with the sleeve of his shirt. Had he been underestimating Uchiha Madara and his ultimate intentions all this time? He always seemed to be in the right spot at the right time. After being told about Itachi's true role in the massacre of the Uchiha clan, his emotions had clouded his judgment. His vision had became narrowed and all he could focus on was, once again, revenge.

He was an avenger. That hadn't changed. But it didn't mean his target couldn't.

"All right," Sasuke said, hoping he wasn't making a big mistake. But it didn't feel like it; his roiling mess of emotions hardened into something like resolve. "I'll make sure Madara pays for what he's trying to do. I won't let him get away with it. I'll kill him and avenge your death."

Itachi smiled. "With the help of my eyes, you'll achieve a great new power. Show Madara what it means to be someone worthy of having the Uchiha name. I don't have much time left to speak with you, but I want to tell you how proud I am of you and how far you've progressed. You have the power to do great things, Sasuke. It's up to you whether they happen or not."

Sasuke stared at Itachi's outstretched hand, and then grasped it. The brothers exchanged one more look of understanding, before Sasuke felt the hand begin to disappear.

"Wait! What is Madara's big plan, though? What's his overall goal?" Sasuke asked, suddenly very aware that he didn't know much of Madara's intentions.

"You'll have to figure it out yourself. I'm afraid my time is up," Itachi said, becoming more and more faint.

"No! You can't go yet!" Sasuke said desperately. "There are so many things I wanted to talk to you about." He had spent most of his life yelling at his brother. He had never gotten the chance to actually talk to him about anything.

"Goodbye, Sasuke. I'll be watching over you."

Sasuke watched him fade away completely, feeling very alone once again. He hoped he'd be able to face what was to come, knowing that it wouldn't be an easy feat, killing Madara. It would be hard, but not impossible. Nobody is immortal, Sasuke knew that much.

"Goodbye, nii-san," Sasuke said to the abyss, allowing a small smile to grace his features.

* * *

Sasuke knew he was awake. He was lying down, the hard surface of the ground pressing into his back. He opened his eyes to utter darkness, and for a moment, panic surged through him. Had the procedure gone wrong in some way? Sasuke had no idea how skilled Madara was at medical ninjutsu. His hands quickly went to his eyes, and he discovered a fabric of some sort covering them.

He breathed out a sigh of relief as he slowly removed the piece of cloth and sat up, observing his surroundings. He was back at where Madara had taken him after his fight with Itachi, the room dimly lit with a couple of torches. It looked like his wounds had been treated as well, bandages covering most of his body. His vision, which had been a little blurry at first, was starting to sharpen.

Then he felt it. The raw power of his new sharingan. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before. Itachi wasn't lying when he said he'd achieve great power upon receiving his eyes. After agreeing to dispose of Madara, Sasuke had briefly doubted his ability to carry through with Itachi's request. Now, though, with this new power, Sasuke felt as if he could do anything.

He sat there for a moment in awe at the latent potential of the bloodline limit he had always taken for granted. Maybe this could really be done. Maybe he could kill Madara himself without the aid of anyone else.

Madara. It took Sasuke a minute to realize that Madara had had years, maybe decades, to perfect his permanent Mangekyou. He knew all the tricks, all the secrets. Hell, he'd even managed to stay alive longer than Orochimaru, who had been obsessed with achieving immortality. However Madara was staying alive, Sasuke knew it probably wasn't through the use of multiple body replacements, which made Madara that much more dangerous.

Sasuke would have to act like nothing had changed, so that he wouldn't raise suspicion in Madara. By being on the inside, he could gather more information on what his overall plan was, and share that information with the Kages so that they can prepare appropriately, and together, find a way to ultimately defeat him.

"You're finally awake."

Sasuke froze, eyes widening slightly at the sudden intrusion. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed Madara's approach. The very man that he had just been plotting against stood before him now, regarding Sasuke with what he might hesitantly classify as curiosity. It was difficult to say for certain with his ever present mask hiding his face.

"I have to say," Madara mused, "it's unusual for someone to pass out during a procedure like that."

Sasuke cursed silently. Already he was garnering suspicion from Madara, thrusting himself into the spotlight.

"Yeah. I guess being so chakra deprived from all of the battles took its toll on me," he lied smoothly.

"Yes, I suppose that's possible," Madara said, but Sasuke got the feeling that he didn't completely believe the lie.

"So, what are your plans now?" Sasuke asked, forcing himself to sound nonchalant.

"There are several things that require my attention," he said cryptically. "You should stay here and lie low for a while to give your injuries time to heal properly. How are your eyes, by the way?"

"Good. The procedure was a success. I can see clearly now and feel the power of my new Mangekyou."

"Excellent. I have business to take care of, so I can't stay and answer any questions at this time. Stay here and don't go off trying to kill anyone else until you're healed."

With that, Madara disappeared, no doubt using his teleportation jutsu, before Sasuke could even reply.

Madara knew something. Sasuke wasn't sure how he could tell, but something had felt off the whole time he was there.

Sasuke tried to stand up and was met with intense pain. It felt like his whole body had been used as a punching bag. Not wanting to seem weak in a hostile environment, he bit back a groan as he propped himself up completely, using the wall for support. Whatever business Madara was attending to right now, it left him with the perfect opportunity to explore and gather some much needed intelligence.

If Sasuke thought standing up was hard, walking was a hundred times worse. Every step was a feat of its own. Sasuke couldn't believe he had let himself get so beaten up, unless these were residual effects from overusing the Mangekyou sharingan. Probably a combination of the two.

Either way, Sasuke was going to have to ignore the throbbing pain if he wanted to get anywhere. He hated the fact that he was underground.

After spending so much time with Orochimaru, moving from hideout to hideout, he should probably be used to being underground all the time. Maybe he was, but familiarity with the constant narrow corridors and the damp, musty smell that never seemed to go away hadn't made it any more pleasant. He despised being underground for no longer than he had to be. Though he would never admit it to anyone, he half suspected he might be developing claustrophobia due to so much exposure.

Step by step, he made his way down the hallway, no longer bothering by that point to hide the occasional grunt of pain when a particular step sent a shooting pain through his whole body.

After what seemed like forever, the hallway began to expand, and Sasuke came across multiple pathways. He had four different paths he could choose from. Which was the right one? No good way to tell, so Sasuke took the path furthest to the right. The corridor seemed to be grow narrower the deeper he went, adding to his already considerable discomfort.

After another gruelingly long walk, Sasuke reached the end, which led to another room not unlike the one he had just been in. The only difference was this one had a desk with papers littered everywhere. Sasuke went over to the desk and scrutinized the large paper on top of it.

His eyes widened in surprised recognition. It was an extremely detailed map of Konoha, from the perimeters of the barrier that covered the village to the exact locations of every guard stationed.

Taking a closer look at all of the papers scattered around, Sasuke realized upon further inspection that they were all detailed profiles of ninjas, and not just ones from Konoha. Wind, Earth, Rain...they were all there. How had Madara collected so much information? Was this what he did in all of his spare time? Make detailed maps and spy on unsuspecting ninja?

Sasuke rifled through the drawers of the desk but found nothing new, just more profiles. The very bottom drawer he had trouble opening, but it too yielded nothing worthwhile. He was about to close it when he noticed something: the drawer was shorter than the others.

Strange. Sasuke tried to pull the whole drawer out, and after a bit of struggling, yanked it free of the desk. There was a walled off compartment in the very back of it, and Sasuke could sense a very faint protective barrier surrounding it.

Using his knowledge of breaking barriers, and this one wasn't extremely difficult, Sasuke made the appropriate hand signs and murmured the dispel jutsu. The faint energy dissipated and Sasuke used a kunai to break through the wood. Once he had pierced through, he reached inside the tiny area and pulled out a sealed scroll. Sasuke could already tell the seal was very complex. He didn't have the knowledge to be able to break it without completely destroying the scroll.

Something so well protected had to be important, however. Rather than risk losing whatever information it held, it made sense to take it with him. After tucking it into the small bag that carried his kunais and shuriken, Sasuke put the drawer back and left the room, determined now to find an exit and some fresh air.

After making his way back from where he just came, Sasuke was yet again met with the other three pathways. This time he decided to go to the far left one. As he walked down this new hallway, Sasuke reminded himself to keep track of how long he had been gone. The last thing he needed was for Madara to find him snooping around, especially with this unknown scroll in his possession. He also noticed that he was beginning to feel a little winded. All of this walking around while he was still very injured wasn't doing his recovery any favors.

The corridor he was walking down seemed to have no end. It twisted and turned, became narrow then wide, and now Sasuke was faced with a bit of an upward slope. He took this as a good sign, however, because up normally meant the surface wasn't too far away.

The farther Sasuke progressed, the steeper the slope became. His body was not in the right condition to handle this much physical exertion; Sasuke suddenly became very aware of the pain that he had nearly forgotten about since finding the scroll.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Sasuke spotted light at the very end of the corridor. He was so close, and after reaching the top, it became obvious he was still underground. The area he was viewing was colossal. He would have never imagined that a cave could be so vast. Pillars of tree trunks had formed in some areas, which was the only way that Sasuke could think of for this area to still be intact and not completely collapsed.

A reluctant awe swept over him at the sheer size of this place, but that's not what had made his heart skip a beat and his breath catch in his throat.

This wasn't an empty cave, not by any means. It was completely filled with bodies. They weren't dead bodies, just bodies, standing motionless. There were so many, Sasuke couldn't see the end of them. If he had to guess, he would estimate them to number a hundred thousand-at least.

Madara was building an army. And if things continued and these bodies kept growing, it would only be a matter of time before all of the ninjas of the great nations combined were outnumbered by these zombie-like beings.

"My, you sure don't waste any time exploring."

Sasuke turned around. Madara was there, standing before him once again. He looked different, though. His mask wasn't the same as before. It looked like the sharingan now, with three tomoe on it, two of which he used to see through it, it seemed. Madara crossed his arms, as if he was waiting for a reply.

"What is this?" Sasuke asked. It was the only thing he could think of saying, still in shock over the sheer number of these minions.

"I'm sure you've already pieced it together. It doesn't take a fool to know when he's looking at an army. And before you ask, chakra from the collected bijuus was used to create them. Now, since I answered your question, perhaps you would care to explain why you are here? Surely with your injuries, you wouldn't put yourself through so much pain so soon just to scout your surroundings. Not unless you had some ulterior motive to snoop around."

Sasuke had no idea how he could lie his way out of this one. It sounded like Madara already suspected something, and now here he was, caught red-handed.

"I was looking for an exit. The last time I was here you used your teleportation jutsu to get me to the surface," Sasuke said. It wasn't strictly untrue. It just wasn't the whole truth.

"You're not telling me everything. You've been...different ever since you had Itachi's eyes transferred. I knew something was off the moment you passed out. Chakra deprived or not, it shouldn't have happened. I know Itachi is involved, somehow. He was the only one who was ever able to stay a couple steps behind me. Let me guess, he has shown you the 'light,' and now you mean to turn on me. Am I correct?" Madara asked, too calm for Sasuke's liking.

Just like that, he had figured everything out. Was he really capable of detecting a difference in his behavior after only briefly speaking with him after waking up? Sasuke should have heeded his brother's words. Madara was extremely dangerous, and now he was in less than perfect condition and had every disadvantage.

"Itachi was right about you." Sasuke said quietly, giving up on deception entirely. He had the feeling it would be useless against Madara.

"So he did speak to you somehow after you passed out. That man never ceases to surprise me. Just when I think I've had him beat, he comes back to ruin my plans in some way. Always trying to protect his dear little brother," Madara said in a mocking tone that didn't sit right with Sasuke.

"Fuck you!" Sasuke yelled, red eyes flashing. "I don't know what the hell you're trying to accomplish. All I know is that I'm going to stop you and avenge my brother's death!"

"Sasuke, both you and I know how that fight would end should you attack me right now. Though, if I can't convince you to work with me, then I can't just let you leave here alive with what you've just found out. To think, if you had just stayed angry and done what I asked, you wouldn't be in this predicament." Madara said.

"I don't care! I'm not one of your little minions who does all your work for you! You're a pain in the ass, and I just want you dead!"

Sasuke wasted no time. It was now or never. Ignoring his body's cries for rest, he completed several hand seals and concentrated electricity began to form in his left hand. He lunged forward, using all of the speed he could muster up in his weakened state.

"Chidori!"

Sasuke was centimeters away from his target, but instead of connecting, his attack went right through Madara, and he fell to the ground.

"Sasuke, Sasuke," Madara said, making a disapproving tsking noise. "Did you really think that that would work? That you would use that one attack, and it'd all be over? You really are naive. Or perhaps you hit your head too hard in one of your many battles."

Before Sasuke could react Madara was behind him. A hand closed around his throat and lifted him up into the air. Sasuke watched Madara's other hand come forward to punch him in the stomach, and he flew through the air, crashing into some rocks. A violent cough wracked his chest, and fine droplets of blood misted through the air. Some of his recently treated wounds had opened back up. Things were not looking good.

Sasuke experienced a moment of deja vu, mind flashing back to a time when he was younger and his brother had effortlessly stopped his attack and snapped his wrist, sending him flying into the wall. The power gap between him and Madara was too great right now. He needed to train and get stronger before he could even consider facing him in a battle one on one. He closed his eyes.

"You should have come to your senses. How disappointing. Attacking me was a foolish mistake; you're pathetic right now, barely clinging to life. Itachi may have been able to change your mind, but unfortunately he can't do anything about the stupid decisions you make. Might as well end this right now."

Madara lunged forward. As he did, Sasuke opened his eyes. Mangekyou activated, a skeleton rapidly began to form around him, just in time to stop the attack. Blood poured down his eyes as Sasuke put everything he had into his one last defense. Unable to muster up enough chakra for the full Susanoo to form, what he had was enough for now to keep him somewhat safe.

"I'm not that easy to kill...you stupid bastard," Sasuke gritted out. His body felt like it was on fire, and every breath he took was like a knife in his chest.

"I don't know how long you'll be able to keep that shield up, but I don't have the time or patience right now to sit here to wait and see. You're like a cockroach, Sasuke. Even if I left you here for dead you'd find some way to survive, and I'll have to deal with you all over again. And by then you'll have had some time to experiment with your new sharingan. So instead, I'm going to try a new little technique on you that I picked up from your former sensei-with a little twist to it."

Madara formed several hand seals before slamming his hand to the ground. Sasuke watched as something began to form underneath him, unable to break his concentration to respond.

"Instead of leaving you for dead in this universe, this particular technique, if it's done correctly, should send you to an alternate universe. Once there, you won't have any friends who will be able to save you, and I'll never have to worry about you again, since you'll never be able to find a way to get back."

Light began to form around Sasuke, and the ground he was sitting on began to disappear. He wasn't certain if he could quite believe what Madara was saying, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let him have the last laugh.

"You know, this wasn't the only the place I had the pleasure of exploring," he said, pulling the scroll out of his bag. "I hope this didn't mean much to you and your overall plans for world domination or whatever."

Sasuke waved the scroll, allowing a small smirk when he saw Madara begin to panic a little.

"Where-! Where did you get that! Give that to me, now!" Madara sounded furious.

Sasuke felt his body becoming lighter, as if he truly were disappearing. Looking at his hand, he saw that he was. Madara lunged at him, but his hand, which had reached out to grasp at the scroll, came back with nothing.

"Yeah, not so fun when you're on the receiving end of that trick." Sasuke said, feeling himself about to fade away completely. "And one more thing: fuck you!"

In his final moments in his own universe, Sasuke reflected that he had never seen Madara look so enraged. What was so important about this scroll? Would he even live long enough to figure it out?

He didn't have time to think about it because the last thing he remembered was a flash of light, then nothing.

He was gone.


	2. Recovery

**Author:** Sassy Southpaw

**Story Title:** Broken Promises

**Summary:** Ichigo's already in over his head; the arrival of a stranger makes his life even more complicated. Sasuke wasn't sure he wanted redemption, but when he's thrust into a strange new world, he'll need Ichigo's help to get back—before Madara finds him first.

**Spoilers:** This story contains spoilers for Naruto up to the most recent manga chapters. It also contains spoilers for Bleach up to the Rescue Arc.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or Bleach, nor am I making any profit from this story. The rights belong solely to Masashi Kishimoto and Tite Kubo.

**Chapter 2: Recovery

* * *

**

Ichigo was getting extremely tired of all of the hollows that seemed to be appearing nonstop lately. Just when he thought he'd be able to go home and go to bed, he'd hear the 'Hollow! Hollow!' cry of his substitute shinigami seal of approval, and once again have to go out into the night to get rid of whatever hollow was terrorizing Karakura Town.

"Ichigo! This way!"

Ichigo turned and saw Rukia pointing in one direction, her other hand holding her Soul Society cell phone that was able to give exact locations of the hollows.

Ichigo would never admit it, but he was happy that Rukia decided to come back with him to the real world. She had asked for permission to once again become the acting shinigami for Karakura Town after her powers had been restored, since Ichigo was only a substitute and, how did she phrase it, "had a lot to learn."

Ichigo scoffed at that memory. Had a lot to learn...pfft! He had rescued her from certain death back in Soul Society. He had basically put together a team and found a way to infiltrate her world, defeating many high level captains in the process and still saving her in the nick of time!

"Oi! Ichigo! Focus! The hollow should be appearing right here," Rukia shouted at him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

They were in the outskirts of town, surrounded by trees and bushes. Ichigo felt like all of the calls they were getting kept sending them to this general area. It was unusual for hollows to appear so far away from any souls, unless there was one bound to this particular area.

"Are you sure it's supposed to appear here?" Ichigo asked, skeptical of Rukia's sometimes inaccurate coordinates.

"Of course it is! My phone shows the coordinates of this exact area."

"That thing can be faulty sometimes, you know! Wouldn't be the first time you sent me on a wild goose chase," Ichigo said, fighting back a smile at how riled up Rukia was getting.

"You're lucky I'm even here to tell you the locations. If not you'd have to rely on your abilities to sense hollows, which, if I recall, aren't always as sharp as a normal shinigami's," Rukia said, smirking slightly.

"What did you say?" Ichigo demanded, glaring at her. "It's not like everyone is able to go to your special school to learn these things! I pick up on things that takes you guys years to learn."

Rukia laughed, which only pissed him off more. She just loved pushing his buttons and always seemed to know what would set him off.

He was so caught up in forming a retort, he almost didn't duck in time as a claw appeared through the portal between here and the hollow world. Rukia had called it something before. Hueco Mondo? No, that sounded wrong.

But he didn't have time to think about it. He had to act. The hollow pulled the rest of its body into the real world, and Ichigo responded by grabbing his zanpakuto, the white cloth that surrounded it falling away as he did.

The hollow charged forward.

Too slow, Ichigo thought as he easily dodged the attack, jumping up into the air before bringing his zanpakuto down, slicing down the hollow's mask from top to bottom.

Just as soon as the battle had started, it was over. The hollow disappeared as fast as it had appeared.

"Please let us be done for the night. I want to sleep now!" Ichigo whined. Thank god it was a Friday night, and he didn't have to worry about school in the morning.

"As long as we get no more calls. It's our responsibility as shinigami to keep unsuspecting people safe from hollow attacks, as well as protecting poor souls from being turned into hollows."

Ichigo groaned. Hopefully she wouldn't go off on one of her lectures about the duties and responsibilities of a shinigami. He was too tired to give a damn at the moment.

"Let's just go," he said, cutting her off mid-sentence. The interruption earned him a death glare, and he knew he was about to get an earful.

As Rukia began yelling at him, Ichigo sensed something. He had no idea what it was. It was extremely faint, but it was definitely there. Muting her out, he stood there and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on whatever it was he was feeling. It was close.

"...and another thing, Ichigo! Ichigo? Are you even listening to me? Ichigo—?" Rukia broke off at his shushing gesture.

"Hold on a sec, there's something nearby."

When he thought he had a pinpoint on the location, he took off at a run, staying alert while moving through the trees. He heard Rukia following behind him. He was about to pass another tree when he glimpsed a tiny movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to the source of the movement and jumped behind a bush.

"What on earth—?" he heard Rukia exclaim.

It was a guy. He looked as if he could be around the same age as Ichigo, but it was hard to tell. He looked barely alive, lying there on the ground. One eye was only slightly open, the other completely crusted shut by blood. In fact, this guy was covered in blood and looked like he was still losing more. They didn't have time to stand here and gawk.

"Rukia, can you try to heal this guy? If we don't do something soon I don't think he's going to live much longer," Ichigo said, trying to stay calm.

Could this be why hollows kept appearing so far away from town? They were after this guy's soul? It made perfect sense to him.

Rukia nodded and began to perform her kido spell for healing wounds. He took the opportunity to crouch down and study the guy. His clothes were strange; the top, held together by a rope tie, was pretty much shredded. He had purple-colored pants and wore sandals over them. He also had some sort of gloves on that covered his forearms, but only part of his hands. He carried a sword.

In one of his hands, Ichigo noticed, he was clutching onto something. He tried to pull it out and see what it was, but even in such a weakened state, this guy maintained his death grip on whatever it was. The one partially open eye focused on him, and Ichigo didn't know if he was imagining things or if it was just because it was dark, but the iris looked red to him.

"This boy is seriously injured, Ichigo. I don't know if I'll be able to save him or not," Rukia murmured, completely concentrating on the task at hand.

Ichigo nodded, not wanting to disturb Rukia's focus. He saw the guy's mouth begin to move. Was he trying to say something? Ichigo leaned forward and tried to listen.

"Na—Na—ru—to...?"

Naruto? Was that a name or something? Ichigo had no idea what he meant by that. The eye that was trained on him began to roll back and the guy went limp. Hopefully he was only unconscious, not dead.

"Rukia, is he going to live?" Ichigo asked. This night was becoming more and more complicated by the second.

"I don't know, honestly," Rukia said quietly. "It looks like he has some internal damage. Some of his wounds were previously treated, but opened back up. Thankfully, I have more knowledge than most shinigami get during training, unless they end up joining squad four. I can stop the bleeding and get him out of immediate jeopardy, but your father is probably better suited to treat the rest."

"Can you fix the internal damage?"

Rukia hesitated. "I should be able to, yes. He shouldn't need surgery of any kind once I'm finished, which is why I suggest your father take over."

Ichigo nodded; that sounded like the best course of action. As he stood there, a thought struck him suddenly: both he and Rukia were currently shinigami, but the guy had looked at him, had seen him. Hell, he tried to speak to him.

Ichigo sighed. It was going to be a long night.

So much for going to bed.

* * *

Sasuke had no idea what was happening. He felt like he was being jerked around in every direction. He couldn't hear anything. Couldn't move. He gave up trying to see ages ago. After what felt like forever, everything just stopped. He felt like he was floating now. It lasted for maybe a second or two.

Then he was falling.

It wasn't a very far drop, because it didn't take long for him to crash into solid ground. Sasuke wanted to be able to say that that hurt like a bitch, but his body had gone numb with pain a long time ago. All he could do was lay there now, unable to move. Hell, he couldn't even lift a finger.

It took all he had to be able to shift his eyes back and forth, trying to see where he was. Trees. That's all he could see. The sky was dark, so he assumed that wherever he was, it was night time. Was he really in a different universe?

Hours seemed to go by. Sasuke didn't want to close his eyes because he was afraid he'd never open them again. He couldn't die. He wasn't ready to die. He had to stop Madara somehow. Sasuke was stubborn. He hoped that his stubbornness would work to his advantage so he could survive this.

He heard another monstrous cry ring out in the silence. This had become a regular occurrence ever since he landed on the ground. He'd hear them every once in a while, and wondered what it was that inhabited this world, and if he'd encounter one of these beings soon.

He hoped he didn't.

More time came and went, and Sasuke wondered if he really was in the final moments of his life. It's not like he expected to live a really long time, death being a normal occurrence for those who chose to be a shinobi, but he was only sixteen years old. He didn't think he'd die at such a young age. There were so many things he wanted to do.

Like avenge his brother.

He had failed his brother's final wish. The thought brought on a wave of guilt. He had acted so foolishly during his encounter with Madara. He could have tried to salvage the situation, done something to convince Madara that he wasn't any different than before. Instead he thought he could attack him using Chidori and that it would all be over.

What a fool he'd been. Maybe he really did deserve to die right now.

Sasuke heard movement not too far from where he was. Voices as well. Were there other shinobi around? Maybe Madara was bluffing, and he had really just been unpleasantly teleported to another area of the world.

He tried angling his head in the direction of the noise. Two figures were leaping from branch to branch. They were about to pass him when one of the figures suddenly stopped, turned sharply and made his way towards him.

There were two of them. A man and a woman. Sasuke could only see out of one eye now, the blood from activating Susanoo had dried over his other eye, sealing it shut.

He heard the woman gasp and say something. Then the man said something to the woman, and she knelt before him. Her hands began to glow, and Sasuke wondered if he was being healed. He didn't know why he couldn't hear what they were saying. The voices sounded muffled to him, and he began to lose focus.

The man tried to grab the scroll from his hand, but Sasuke refused to let it go. He had to guard that scroll with his life. He wasn't about to let it fall into someone else's hands.

He focused his eye on this guy and saw a flash of orange. Or was it yellow? It couldn't be...

"Na—Na—ru—to...?"

His vision swam, colors twisting together and darkening as consciousnes fled. The last thing he heard were those same muffled voices, hushed with concern.

Maybe he'd survive this after all.

* * *

Sasuke woke up in a bed. He had grown accustomed to waking up without opening his eyes, and felt around his body with his hands. Everything was once again bandaged up. He didn't feel as sore as he did the last time he'd woken up in a daze. Maybe it was because he was in a comfortable bed and not lying on cold, hard ground. He moved his hands over his eyes to make sure there still wasn't blood keeping them shut. He'd had the experience before of trying to open an eye that had been crusted shut with blood, and it was an extremely painful experience that vividly stuck out in his head.

Feeling no blood or anything on his face, Sasuke deemed it safe to open his eyes. When he did, he stiffened. Everything looked like it did before he had Itachi's eyes implanted: vague outlines and blurry colors. Why had it reverted? Had something happened with his Mangekyou? He had barely used it at all.

Or maybe...

Sasuke activated his sharingan, and his sight was instantly restored. He heaved a sigh of relief. He could see clearly now. It made sense, actually, that his vision would be poor unless he had his sharingan activated at all times. Though he wasn't sure if he wanted people to know about his ability, or question him about it. He would have to observe his surroundings while no one was around, and once he was satisfied, deactivate his sharingan and make do with poor vision.

At least he knew that he could still have sharp vision whenever he wanted. The knowledge that he would never truly go blind made it less daunting to have to use his poor eyesight.

Sharingan still activated, Sasuke looked around. It was a pretty plain room. There was a bed, two doors—one that no doubt led to a bathroom, the other the exit—a dresser, a window, which allowed him to know that it was daytime right now, and a clock on the wall that read 7:15 am. Sasuke also noticed a bedstand next to him. There was a glass of water on it.

It wasn't until he started drinking the water that he realized how desperately thirsty he was, or how badly he needed to use the bathroom. His stomach also began to growl loudly. Just how long had he been out for?

Sasuke groaned involuntarily as he began to sit up. He was getting really tired of being in constant pain. When he finally heaved himself into sitting position on the edge of the bed, Sasuke noticed he was wearing a hospital gown. His clothes were nowhere to be seen. Or his sword. The scroll...

Sasuke looked at his hands. He didn't have the scroll! He hoped whoever brought him here put his things somewhere safe and respected his privacy. If not, he would be seriously pissed off. As he slowly made his way to the bathroom, he felt a sharp pain in his left foot. He must have sprained it or something when he had fallen from the sky.

Sasuke allowed himself a small smirk. How ridiculous did he sound right now? Falling from the sky. Was he really in another world? He had yet to find evidence that told him so.

Once he was finished using the toilet, Sasuke took a minute to inspect himself in the mirror. He looked like shit. His naturally messy hair had the worst bed-head he'd ever seen. Bandages covered his body. At least while in this hospital gown he still had underwear on. Especially since the damn thing tied in the back, leaving everything exposed.

Sasuke washed his face briefly before exiting the bathroom. He didn't want to go back to his bed. He wanted answers. Like where the hell his stuff was. And who it was that saved his life.

He opened the other door and peered outside. There was a tiny hallway, a couple more doors, and from where he was, Sasuke could see the entrance. He made his way towards it, limping slightly. For a hospital, this place seemed very quiet and inactive. He hadn't even run into a nurse yet. It was odd.

He made it all the way to the front desk. Still no one. Behind the front desk on the wall was the name of the hospital. Kurosaki Clinic. So it wasn't an actual hospital, Sasuke decided. But that didn't explain why nobody was around. What day was it anyway?

"You there!"

Sasuke clutched the front desk at the sudden, unexpected shout, convinced he was going to have a heart attack. Turning around, wide eyed, he saw a man. He was tall, with dark hair and a beard. He was wearing a white coat, which had the words "Dr. Kurosaki" written on the front breast pocket. Was this the man who had saved him?

More importantly, how had he been able to sneak up on him like that? It was like he had just appeared out of nowhere. Sasuke was way off of his game. His heart was pounding in his chest. This guy had actually been able to scare him; Sasuke never allowed himself to get scared.

The man, still pointing at him, suddenly moved forward and lifted Sasuke up, who was too shocked to resist. Did he have no regard whatsoever towards his injuries?

"Hey!" Sasuke yelled, not liking this sudden intrusion of his personal space. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Put me down! Now!"

"Of course I won't!" the man yelled back with far too much enthusiasm. "You're my patient! You shouldn't even be moving around right now! Karin! Yuzu!"

Two young girls appeared, both of the same height. One had medium length dark hair, and looked like she didn't want to be there right now. Sasuke thought he might have seen her rolling her eyes at the man. The other looked like the complete opposite. She had short blonde hair and seemed like the type that always had a smile present.

"Karin! Please go fetch me some new bandages and disinfectant. Yuzu! Bring some food for our patient and go tell Ichigo that he's awake."

The girls nodded and went to do their tasks.

Ichigo. Sasuke tried to puzzle out why the name sounded so familiar. He could have sworn he'd never heard the name in his entire life. Though that wasn't as strange was the fact that this guy was still carrying him.

"Can you _please_ put me down?" Sasuke asked. Maybe being nice about it would help, since demanding hadn't worked out so well.

"Not until you're back in your room," he replied.

They made it back to the room Sasuke started in, and he was finally set down on his bed. The man pressed a button on something and the back of the bed began to rise.

"Lie back, please," the man instructed.

Sasuke did as he was told. He didn't want to be picked up again. "Could you tell me who you are?"

"Oh! How rude of me! I'm Kurosaki Isshin. I'm the one who has been treating your wounds. Those two lovely girls you saw were my daughters, Karin and Yuzu. Yuzu went to go get her brother Ichigo, who was also the person who found you a week ago."

Sasuke sat there for a minute. That must be why he recognized the name. So this was something like a family clinic.

"Now, do you mind telling me your name?" Isshin asked.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke watched him record something down on a clipboard. When had he picked that up?

"All right, Sasuke. Do mind if I call you Sasuke?"

Sasuke shook his head. It was how most people addressed him anyway.

"Okay. My next question. Why are your eyes red?" he asked, peering at Sasuke closely.

Sasuke wanted to smack himself in the face. He had completely forgotten to deactivate his sharingan with all of the commotion going on. There wasn't anything he could do about it now.

"Uhh, they're special contacts," Sasuke lied. What a stupid lie, he thought immediately, fighting back a grimace. Who in their right mind would believe—

"All right!" Isshin said, still scribbling on his clipboard. "Next question. What happened?"

Sasuke stared at him, his face blank. Did he seriously believe the lie he had just told him? This guy was something else.

"I don't remember. Did you say your son found me a week ago? Does that mean I've been asleep for a week?" Sasuke asked, trying to cover up his second lie.

"Yes. Your wounds were pretty bad. It looked like someone had tried to treat them previously, but most had opened back up. You had a badly sprained ankle and some bruised ribs, along with various cuts and gashes."

Sasuke was about to ask another question when one of the daughters, Karin, entered the room with the items her father had requested.

"This is Karin! One of my daughters. Karin, this is our patient, Uchiha Sasuke," Isshin said.

"Why are your eyes red?" she asked.

"They're special contacts," Isshin replied before Sasuke had the chance to even open his mouth.

The girl looked far more skeptical of the answer than her father had. "Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes and leaving the room.

"Don't worry about her. She doesn't talk much to people she doesn't know. Anyway, it's time to redress some of your wounds. This disinfectant might hurt some, but it's better than getting an infection later."

As Isshin began taking off some of his old bandages, the other girl, Yuzu, rushed in with what looked like some soup. It was a welcome distraction from the painful tug of the bandages on his wounds.

"Ah, Yuzu! Perfect timing. What did you bring for our patient?"

"Well, I didn't know if he should be having any solid foods yet, so I brought some homemade tomato soup," she said, smiling as she placed it on the stand next to his bed.

Sasuke actually couldn't wait to try some of that. It sounded delicious. "Thank you," he said, wanting to be polite to these people who were helping him.

"You're very welcome—" she trailed off, uncertain for a moment.

"Sasuke," he provided for her.

"Sasuke," she repeated with a grateful smile. "You're very welcome."

Sasuke nodded at her. She began to converse with her dad, who was dabbing his cuts with that disinfectant. Holy shit, it stung! He kept the pain off his face with some effort. He let his eyes wander to the doorway. There, leaning on the door frame, was the guy he had seen that night.

It's no wonder he mistook him for Naruto while so disoriented. His hair was bright orange. He just stood there, staring at Sasuke, as if deep in thought. After Yuzu waved and left the room, the guy move from the doorway to the side of his bed.

"Ichigo! There you are!" Isshin looked up from rebandaging Sasuke's wounds. "Our patient has finally woken up! In fact, I found him walking around the clinic. I was amazed he could do that in the first place! Anyway, since you insisted you be informed the minute he wakes up, I made sure Yuzu told you right away."

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he said, holding out his hand.

He grasped the hand and shook it. "Uchiha Sasuke."

"There we are!" Isshin said, standing. "Most of these have healed quite nicely. Just don't move around too much for the next couple of days, so that the deeper cuts can heal properly. I need to go record some information, so I'll let you two get acquainted."

"Thank you, Kurosaki-san," Sasuke said.

Isshin nodded at him, giving a departing wave as he left the room. Now it was just him and this Ichigo guy. Sasuke watched him warily as he took a seat in the chair by the bed.

"So, you're the one who found me?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yeah, you were pretty messed up. You're lucky I was around at the time or you probably would have died," Ichigo replied, voice neutral.

"I agree. For what it's worth, I appreciate all of your help and your family's help. They've all been very kind."

"You're welcome. Now that we've gotten all of the formalities out of the way, what the hell is up with your eyes?" Ichigo asked.

Sasuke sighed inwardly. So much attention towards his eyes. He guessed it was safe to say he wasn't in his own world, where it wouldn't be such an odd thing to have strange eyes, and people usually knew what it meant if you did.

"They're special contacts," Sasuke said, sticking to his earlier lie.

Ichigo frowned. "Bullshit. My dad may fall for some lame lie like that, but you're going to have to do better than that with me."

Sasuke sighed for real this time. Should he just tell the truth? Given his luck, Ichigo would probably think he was lying to him again.

"Fine. It's a special eye technique that only people from my clan can possess, called the sharingan. It allows me to see an enemy's movements before they even attack me, as well as other things that I'd prefer not to share right now," Sasuke said, staring Ichigo in eye.

A fist was suddenly coming towards him, and had he not had his sharingan activated he would have taken a direct hit. Because it was, though, he caught the hand easily, still staring at Ichigo.

"Let me guess, that was a test? So did I pass?" Sasuke asked.

"I guess. Or you got lucky," Ichigo replied. Sasuke could tell he was skeptical.

"Well, maybe once I'm fully healed we could spar a little and I can prove to you that my eyes are the real deal," Sasuke offered. He wouldn't mind releasing some of the pent-up frustration that had been building steadily since his encounter with Madara.

"Maybe," Ichigo said.

Sasuke had barely spoken with Ichigo, but he recognized the excitement that flashed in his eyes at the possible sparring match. Maybe a fight between the two of them would be more exciting than he had initially thought.

"So what happened?" Ichigo asked.

Sasuke sighed. So many of the same questions being asked. He really didn't feel like telling some random guy he just met something so personal, even if he had saved his life.

"I don't remember," he said, hoping his lying skills would pay off like they did with the other family members.

Sasuke became uncomfortable as Ichigo peered at him, as if he was able to see right through his lie. Was he really that bad of a liar?

"I don't—" Ichigo was cut off as another person entered the room.

Sasuke recognized the person as the girl who was with Ichigo that night. She wore a black robe of sorts with a white tie around her waist. A sword was held in place on her hip.

"Ichigo," she exclaimed, hardly sparing him more than a brief glance, "an order just came in! It's nearby, we have to go now!"

What the hell was she talking about? Sasuke was about to open his mouth to ask what was going on when Ichigo caught his eye and gave a small shake of his head.

"I'll be right back," he said, leaving with the strangely dressed girl.

Why hadn't Ichigo wanted him to say anything? Sasuke decided it didn't matter right now. At least the girl had provided enough of a distraction that he didn't have to explain how he got here anymore.

Sasuke glanced at the soup sitting on the stand next to his bed. It was probably lukewarm by now, but he was starving. Not to mention it was tomato soup. Make anything with tomatoes, and Sasuke would never argue against eating it. It was like the girl had read his mind.

After taking the first bite, Sasuke felt like he was tasting heaven. This girl could cook! Not even five minutes later, he had finished the whole bowl. It took a lot of his willpower not to lick it completely clean. Sasuke wasn't quite ready to stoop to Naruto's level when it came to eating food.

Sasuke was once again left with nothing to do but sit around. He was so sick of sitting. If he went back to the main entrance, he would risk running into Ichigo's father. He appreciated everything he'd done for him, but the guy was a little too eccentric for his liking.

Sasuke's eyes drifted to the window. He could go out that way and escape any encounters or reprimands for not staying in bed. Sasuke looked at himself. He still had the hospital gown on. That would look pretty strange to any person walking around. If he wanted to go and explore, he needed to find some clothes first.

A dresser sat in the corner of the room. Sasuke hoped that maybe some spare clothes would be in it. Why else would it be there in the first place, if not to hold some clothes?

Hobbling his way over to the dresser, Sasuke opened the top drawer. All it contained were a couple pairs of socks. Sasuke grabbed a pair and closed the drawer. He opened the second drawer. Relief surged through him. The second drawer contained all of his belongings, including his sword. The scroll was lying on top of his shredded clothing. He put it back inside his weapon pouch, deeming the drawer a safe enough spot for now to hold his things. Sasuke closed the drawer and opened the third and final one.

Bingo. The third drawer had a pair of gray sweats and a plain white t-shirt. Sasuke pulled them out, and with a little effort, he finally had real clothes on as opposed to the hospital gown that barely covered anything.

All he was missing were shoes, but Sasuke wasn't going to risk being found out just to find something to cover his feet. As a shinobi, he was accustomed to much harsher conditions. Moving around with only socks wasn't a problem for him.

He opened the window and hopped out with ease. Finally, he was outside. He closed his eyes for a second; the fresh air and sunlight felt nice on his face. He opened them and looked around to take in his surroundings. It looked like he was in a residential area. Houses lined in rows were all around him.

Instead of the normal dirt pathways he was used to, the houses were separated with hard black dirt. Most of the houses, Sasuke noted, had weird metal contraptions outside of them. They all had windows, so Sasuke went over to the nearest one and peered inside.

It looked like people were meant to sit in whatever the thing was. Did these things move? Sasuke was beginning to believe more and more that he truly was in an alternate universe. The technology difference between here and where he came from was already drastically evident.

Sure, back in Konoha they used communication devices and electronic radios, but everything here, including the pathways, already looked so much more advanced.

Maybe Sasuke could ask Ichigo about this stuff. Though that would mean that he would have to explain where he came from, unless he wanted to look like an idiot asking about things that he should already "know" about.

Sasuke would figure it out later. Right now, he had some more exploring to do. He saw people from a distance walking on the gray pathways on either side of the big black pathway. He began to do the same, not wanting to look odd to any onlookers.

"Where are you going?"

Sasuke turned to the source of the voice. It was one of Ichigo's sisters, Karin. She was standing right outside of the house next to the clinic. Sasuke guessed it was safe to assume they lived right next to the clinic.

"Just wanted some fresh air," he replied.

"So you're walking around. You're injured. And you're not even wearing any shoes?" Karin asked. Sasuke could hear the sarcasm.

"I didn't know where any were. I was starting to feel suffocated in that room, so sue me for wanting to take a walk," Sasuke shot back with his own dose of sarcasm.

"Tell you what. Ichi-nii and my dad wouldn't be happy if I let you just wander around by yourself. How about I get you some shoes and walk with you," Karin offered.

Sasuke would have preferred walking around alone, but he honestly had no idea where he was going to go. Maybe having someone with him as a guide wouldn't be so bad. He gave her a small nod and she disappeared back into the house. She returned after a minute with a pair of white shoes.

"These are my brother's. They should fit you fine," she said, handing him the shoes.

Sasuke thanked her and put them on. She was right, they didn't feel too loose or too tight. If he had to guess, he and Ichigo probably wore the same shoe size.

"Are you coming or what?" Karin yelled over her shoulder. Sasuke hadn't realized that she had already started walking.

He did his best to catch up with her, still favoring his left foot. She probably noticed that because he could tell she slowed her pace considerably once they were side by side.

They walked in silence for a while, and Sasuke was grateful. She didn't make it awkward at all or hound him with questions. Sasuke watched some of the metal contraptions he'd seen earlier go down the black path with awe. So they really did move. And people were inside of them.

"You look like you've never seen a car before in your whole life," Karin said.

Car. So that's what those things were called? The word sounded weird in Sasuke's head. They turned onto a pathway that lead into the trees. Sasuke appreciated the peaceful atmosphere. It was nice not having to worry about being ambushed by enemy shinobi.

Sasuke was starting to get out of breath; they had been walking for a while now. Once again, it must have been pretty obvious, because Karin motioned towards a nearby bench. They sat down and Sasuke was glad for the resting time.

"So what's your story?" Karin asked.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke shot back. At least she wasn't asking him about what happened.

"Well, for one thing, your eyes are red. You were found in the middle of nowhere, barely alive. And you look at some things like they're alien to you. You just seem out of your element."

Sasuke had to admit, he was impressed with her perceptiveness. "I'd tell you, but you would probably think I was insane."

"Well, I can see spirits," she countered. "My brother can even talk to them. I'm pretty sure people would think we're insane because of that. So I'd say try me."

"All right, then. Don't say I didn't warn you. This is probably going to sound even weirder than your seeing spirits thing," Sasuke said. He hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out how best to explain it. "I'm not from this world. I was attacked by someone, and somehow they sent me to this universe. I honestly have no idea how, and I certainly don't know how to get back."

"So you're saying everything here really _is_ alien to you," Karin said.

"Kind of. Where I'm from we have a lot of the same things, but I think the technology here is way more advanced. That thing you called a car? I had no idea what it was or what its purpose is."

"Huh, I see. That must really suck. If I were you, I'd be freaking out right now. You seem awfully cool and collected about all of this."

"It's not in my character to freak out about something like this. So, you're just going to believe me? You don't think I'm lying or crazy?" Sasuke asked.

She shrugged. "I dunno. It seems like you're telling the truth. It explains all of the weird things about you, too."

Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that. He must sound pretty crazy, but it was nice that she wasn't laughing in his face. Not to mention she wasn't prying into his life despite the fact that he'd just told her he was from a whole different world.

"So, if you're from a different world, what did you do there? How is life different from this world?"

"Well, I guess you could say my occupation is that of a shinobi," Sasuke began.

He ended up telling her a lot about his world. Sasuke couldn't recall the last time he had a conversation like this. He talked about Konoha and about the academy. He explained who the Hokage was, and all of the tests a shinobi has to take. He told her about chakra and how it was used. The whole time she listened intently, throwing out a comment here and there.

"Wow, your world sure sounds like something else," Karin said once he was finished.

They had been talking for a while, and yet Sasuke hadn't even talked about anything specific, like his brother or his quest for revenge. She didn't need to know about those things. At least not right now.

"Did you tell my brother about any of this?" she asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "I didn't really get the chance. I wasn't even sure I wanted to explain anything to him yet. He had to run out in a hurry, though, so I didn't have to, anyway."

"Yeah, he does that a lot. I don't think he'd judge you if you told him all of this. I don't think he would think you were crazy either."

"Well, maybe I'll talk to him about it later. As long as he doesn't run out—" Sasuke stopped.

Something didn't feel right. The air around them started to feel different, more sinister. Sasuke could just barely hear a monstrous cry. The same as when he was lying in the forest. This wasn't good.

"Do you feel it, too?" Karin asked.

"Yeah, I think we need to leave," Sasuke said, standing.

He turned around, somehow utterly certain something was there. It hadn't shown itself yet, but it was about to attack. He glanced at Karin. It was going after her, he just knew it. Not wasting any time, Sasuke lunged forward and grabbed Karin. They fell to ground, narrowly missing the claw that had reached for the girl.

Sasuke watched as what could only be called a monster climbed through a portal of sorts. The thing was massive. It had a hole in its chest, and its face was covered by an eerie mask. Whatever it was, it wasn't friendly.

"Stay behind me." Sasuke ordered, making sure he was between the monster and Karin. Sasuke watched the thing, not taking his eyes off of it.

"Two souls for the price of one. I like those odds," the thing said, its voice gravelly and menacing.

"You can talk?" Sasuke said, startled. He hadn't expected a monster like this to be able to form sentences.

"Of course I can talk. I'm surprised that you can see me right now. Most humans can't. That means you must have strong spiritual energy, which means you'll be even tastier once I devour you and the girl."

Sasuke glared at the monster. It was already underestimating him. Not that he was complaining; it gave him the advantage.

Hands forming familiar seals, Sasuke lifted one to his mouth and spoke. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

A giant fireball erupted towards the monster, catching it completely off guard. The monster screamed as it became engulfed in flames. When the fire dissipated, it was gone.

"Did that kill it?" Karin asked; her voice shook slightly.

"I don't know," he said, scanning his surroundings.

Before he could react, a scream rang out. Sasuke whipped around. How had the thing appeared so suddenly? In one of its claws, it held Karin, who struggled futilely against its grasp.

"I'd like to see you try that little technique now with the girl in harm's way." The monster spoke with glee, letting out an awful laugh.

Sasuke scoffed. This thing was starting to piss him off. It needed to just die. The thing was fast, but he was faster, even in his weakened state.

Forming more hand seals, Sasuke concentrated an electrical current to his left hand. Not wasting any time, he lunged forward. The other claw came towards him, but it was much too slow. Sasuke used it to his advantage, jumping on top of the arm, making his way towards the other.

"Chidori!" he cried, slicing through the other arm that held Karin.

Another cry rang out into the sky, and Sasuke was able to catch Karin before she hit the ground. It must have been squeezing pretty tightly, because the girl was unconscious.

"You little brat! I'm going to make you suffer!" it screamed with rage.

Sasuke didn't know what to do. He still had Karin in his arms, and no safe place to put her. Using jutsus while he was still weak had already taken its toll on him, his breathing getting heavier and heavier. This monster just didn't want to die.

It lunged towards him, and he jumped away. He couldn't dodge forever. Something wrapped around his feet, and he fell to the ground.

"I see you failed to notice that my tail is able to grow as long as I wish it to. You were so focused on dodging my attack, you never saw it coming! Look at you, so pathetic, clinging to that girl. You're not going to be able to protect her now!"

The monster lunged forward once again. Sasuke shielded Karin with his body. At least that way he'd take the blow. He waited for the pain to come.

It never did.

Sasuke turned around. Standing between him and the monster was Kurosaki Ichigo. This time he wore the same outfit as the girl he left with. The sword he held was massive, and oddly shaped.

Sasuke watched Ichigo jump in the air with ease, slashing his sword down in the process, cutting the monster clean in half. Its remains never fell to the ground though. Instead, its body faded away into dust and disappeared into thin air, including the tail that was wrapped around his feet.

Sasuke scoffed. If he'd had his sword with him, he could have done that!

Ichigo turned towards him. His attention focused on Karin.

"Is she all right?" he asked.

"I think so. The thing grabbed her, but I was able to get it to let go."

"What the hell were you thinking?" Ichigo demanded. "You put my little sister in danger! If I hadn't come along, you'd both be dead by now!"

Sasuke glared at Ichigo. It wasn't like he'd known this kind of thing could happen! No one had informed him this world contained such things as monsters.

"It wasn't my fault, okay? I wanted to take a walk, and she offered to come along. It's not like I expected to be attacked by a monster in doing so! I did what I could to protect her!"

Ichigo didn't seem satisfied with this answer, but before he could say anything else, the woman stepped forward, placing a hand on Ichigo's arm.

"Calm down, Ichigo," she said. "Everything is okay now."

"You know, if anyone has a right to be mad, it's me! What the hell was that thing? And why are you guys carrying around swords?" Sasuke asked, not bothering to rein in his temper this time.

"So you can see us?" the woman asked.

"No, I just get a kick out of having conversations with air," Sasuke said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

The woman glared at him, but he didn't care. What kind of a question was that, anyway?

"All right, all right," Ichigo said. "Let's just put this conversation on hold right now and get back to my house first. Karin needs to be put in her bed."

Sasuke began to sit up, grunting with effort to lift Karin up with him. Was he ever going to be pain free?

"Rukia, you take Karin." Ichigo said.

The woman, Rukia, nodded. She came over and took Karin from Sasuke. He was relieved to have the extra weight off of his arms.

"Go on ahead," Ichigo said.

As Rukia took off with Karin, Ichigo made his way over to Sasuke. He offered him a hand.

"I can walk by myself," he protested. "I don't need any help."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "It's a lot faster if I just carry you. Just give me your arm."

Before Sasuke could even react, Ichigo had already grabbed his arm, slinging it over his shoulders. Sasuke relented, his pride dampened a bit by the gesture. They took off, and Sasuke grudgingly agreed that this was much faster.

As they made their way back to Ichigo's house, Sasuke was left to wonder how the conversation would play out.

Hopefully he would get some much needed answers.


	3. Discussions

**Author:** Sassy Southpaw

**Story Title:** Broken Promises

**Summary:** Ichigo's already in over his head; the arrival of a stranger makes his life even more complicated. Sasuke wasn't sure he wanted redemption, but when he's thrust into a strange new world, he'll need Ichigo's help to get back—before Madara finds him first.

**Spoilers:** This story contains spoilers for Naruto up to the most recent manga chapters. It also contains spoilers for Bleach up to the Rescue Arc.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or Bleach, nor am I making any profit from this story. The rights belong solely to Masashi Kishimoto and Tite Kubo.

**Chapter 3: Discussions

* * *

**

They were back at the house within a couple minutes. This time, they went through the window on the second floor. Sasuke guessed that this was Ichigo's room.

"Stay here," Ichigo said, leaving Sasuke to sit on the bed.

He looked around. It was a pretty plain room. The only weird thing was the stuffed lion lying on the bed. Sasuke hadn't gotten the impression Ichigo was the kind of guy who'd have things like that.

After a few minutes, Ichigo returned with the girl, Rukia, right behind him. They both wore normal clothes now.

Ichigo walked over to the bed and grabbed the stuffed animal. It looked like he was shoving something into its mouth. Weird.

It got weirder—the stuffed animal started moving.

"Finally! I was getting sick of having to be all moody and surly all day!" it said.

Sasuke blinked. Had he hit his head going through the window, or had he really just heard the thing talk?

The stuffed lion turned to him, tiny eyebrows on its head sweeping down as it glared at him. "What are you looking at?"

He glanced suspiciously from Ichigo to the animal and back again. Was this some kind of joke? Some kind of puppet like Kankuro controlled? Sasuke frowned, dismissing the idea almost instantly. That didn't make much sense, and so far, it appeared that none of the inhabitants of this world were familiar at all with ninjutsu.

Okay, so it was definitely talking. A talking stuffed animal. Well, he thought after a moment, he _had_ just traveled to an entirely different world, so who was to say these kinds of things were strange at all here?

"Kon, could you give us some space? Go to Karin and Yuzu's room. Karin had a rough day," Ichigo said.

So it had a name. Kon. A thinking, talking stuffed animal. And Sasuke had thought the day couldn't get any stranger.

"Why do I have to go? And who is this guy?" Kon demanded, pointing at Sasuke.

Rukia shook her head. "Please give us some time, Kon. I'll explain later."

"All right, but only for you, Nee-san!" Kon jumped off the bed and left the room.

Rukia closed the door behind him, leaving just the three of them. For a long moment, no one said anything.

"So," Ichigo said, finally breaking the silence, "I guess you two haven't formally met. Rukia, this is Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke, this is Kuchiki Rukia."

"Nice to meet you," Rukia said, though her tone spoke otherwise.

"Likewise," he replied with the same enthusiasm. Apparently she wasn't a fan of sarcasm, if she was still holding a grudge for what he'd said earlier.

"All right, well, let's just get everything out in the open," Ichigo said. "Sasuke, I'm sure you're wondering what it was exactly that attacked you, and why. We'll start there."

Sasuke listened to Ichigo explain about hollows and shinigami. How there was a place called Soul Society and that hollows come from a place called Hueco Mundo. Apparently, they could only be killed by slicing them across the mask; Sasuke made a special note of that for future encounters. The whole time Ichigo was explaining this, Rukia held up visual aids, if you could call them that. Sasuke wasn't about to piss her off more, however, by commenting on how crudely drawn the pictures were.

At least things were starting to make some sense. Ichigo had become a shinigami even though he was human, but he was still allowed to help Rukia get rid of the hollows that appear. Rukia had gotten in trouble for staying in this world for too long, and Ichigo had to save her by going to Soul Society.

Now everyone had a mutual enemy in this Aizen guy, and were working together to stop him. And here Sasuke had thought his life was complicated. By the time Ichigo had finished, it was nearly dark outside and his stomach was rumbling again.

"That was a lot of information to take in, but I think I understand everything better now," Sasuke said.

"My sisters, especially Karin, have higher spiritual energy than most people, which is why they get targeted by hollows." Ichigo gave him him a brief, assessing look. "It's probably safe to say you do as well, since you have no problem seeing or touching shinigami and hollows."

"You'll have to be very careful now," Rukia chimed in. "Hollows won't attack you all the time, but when they do you need to be prepared."

Sasuke bristled a little at the implication that he wasn't capable of defending himself. "It may not look like it right now, but I can handle myself no problem. If I weren't already weakened during my encounter with that hollow, I would have had no problem killing it."

"Well, it's your turn now to do some explaining. Starting with why we found you barely alive," Ichigo said.

Sasuke sighed inwardly. He had already talked about his world and how he ended up here. To do it twice in one day was too much talking for his liking.

"If you don't mind," he said, "maybe we could save that conversation for tomorrow. It's been a long day, and I'm just not up for another real long conversation. Not to mention all of the information I need to digest."

The room fell silent as Ichigo considered his request. "Fine. You'll tell us tomorrow?"

"Yeah. It's a long story," Sasuke said.

"That's probably for the best," Rukia remarked, standing up. "I need to go to Soul Society to drop off a report. They like us to give updates on hollow activity to make sure there aren't any irregular spikes." She threw Ichigo a teasing smile, a marked departure from her earlier coolness towards Sasuke. "I'll probably be gone a day, can you handle things until then?"

"Pfft! You make it sound like I need you here to kill hollows," Ichigo shot back, crossing his arms.

Rukia laughed in reply and climbed onto the window sill. "I'll be back. Stay out of trouble!" With that, she jumped out the window and was gone.

That left just the two of them. Sasuke couldn't help being a little intrigued about the whole shinigami thing. Majority of the population were normal people, and he just happened to get saved by the tiny margin that was different. He certainly wasn't complaining, but it was rather coincidental.

"How's your sister?" Sasuke asked, realizing that he hadn't heard anything since they'd brought her back.

"She should be fine." Ichigo hesitated and then gave a small shrug. "I'm sorry for yelling at you like that earlier. I just worry about Karin and Yuzu because I never know if they're going to be attacked. It's my job as their older brother to protect them."

"It's okay, I understand," Sasuke said.

Ichigo's words reminded Sasuke of Itachi, and how he had said the exact same thing to him. And thinking of Itachi led his thoughts back to Madara. How was he going to get back to his world? Was he going to be stuck here forever? He couldn't let that happen. He had made a promise to Itachi, and he was going to keep it.

"So how are you feeling, anyway?" Ichigo asked, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts.

Sasuke took inventory of his injuries. He still ached, but it was more than manageable. Moving around actually seemed to have helped a bit. "I've been worse, honestly. Thanks to your dad, my wounds have healed pretty nicely."

"Good, because the sooner you get better, the sooner we get to spar a little," Ichigo said, smirking slightly. "See if you're really such a badass after all."

Sasuke couldn't help but smile a little in response. He was also looking forward to having a friendly fight; he missed having a sparring partner. The last time he'd really had one was when he was still with Team 7. He and Naruto had always found time to fight, constantly challenging and trying to outdo each other.

"Are you hungry? Dinner will probably be ready soon," Ichigo asked.

He nodded. "Starving, actually. That tomato soup that your sister made was delicious. She's a really good cook."

"Yeah. Ever since my mom passed away, Yuzu has taken up the household chores," Ichigo said.

Sasuke grimaced, all too painfully aware how hard it was to lose a parent. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay. What about you? Do you have any siblings?" Ichigo asked.

"I had an older brother," Sasuke said, uncomfortable with this topic now.

"He's not around anymore?"

Sasuke shook his head, hoping fervently that Ichigo wouldn't press for details.

"What about your parents? They're probably worried about you."

"My parents died when I was really young," Sasuke said.

"Ah, sorry. So do you live with relatives then?"

"No. All my relatives are dead." Sasuke said curtly, wishing Ichigo would take the hint already and change the subject.

"Wait, you're saying that you have absolutely no family at all that's still living?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, considering they were all murdered, I think it's safe to say yes," Sasuke snapped, unable to hold back his anger this time.

Ichigo looked away. "Wow. I'm really sorry. That must be a sore subject for you."

_You think? _he almost asked, but he held his tongue. Anything was better right now than thinking about his family, and how they had been murdered by his own brother, under the direct orders of the Hokage and the village elders. It didn't get any less twisted each time he thought about it.

"I know you said you'd explain everything tomorrow, but would you mind answering one question? It's been bugging me for a while."

He nodded. At this point, he'd take anything as long as it distracted him. "With all of the help I've gotten from you and your family, it's the least I can do. Go ahead."

"Back in the forest, where we found you, you said something before passing out. I think it was a name. Naruto?" Ichigo asked.

So he had heard him utter his former best friend's name. How could he explain Naruto without going into detail about where he was from? He could be vague about it, but that would be pretty rude considering he'd just heard the super long, detailed story of Ichigo's life.

"I have a friend named Naruto," Sasuke said. "He's a pretty enthusiastic guy. He wears bright orange clothing all the time and his hair is also bright yellow. I thought I might have been seeing things, but for a couple seconds you looked like him. I was pretty disoriented."

"I see. Well, that makes sense. It's nice to know I'm not the only one out there with bright colored hair. Is Naruto a good friend of yours? Will he be looking for you?"

Yes, Naruto was searching for him. But not for the reasons Ichigo thought. He had never given up, the persistent bastard. Some things never changed. Words from one of their brief encounters echoed in his head. He had mocked Naruto for going after him, pointing out that even though his dream was to become Hokage, he had failed in his mission to stop Sasuke from leaving.

And then Naruto had said, _Can someone who can't save even one of his friends become Hokage?_

The words rang as clearly as they did that day. It had been three years since he had last seen Naruto. His tone had been so somber, so cold. It didn't suit him. Was that what Sasuke did to people? All Naruto had wanted was to bring him back to Konoha, for them to be a team again.

Sasuke was certain he'd burned that bridge for good in their most recent encounter. Had Naruto not intervened, he would not have hesitated to kill Sakura. Revenge had corrupted him in a way that almost scared Sasuke. Was he incapable of showing any type of emotion? Even towards his teammates, who he had gone through so much with?

Naruto was better off without him as a friend. He didn't deserve that. Not when after all of these years, Naruto still accepted him, still believed that there was good inside of him.

Maybe he wasn't completely wrong, but Sasuke had trouble believing that sometimes.

"...Hello? Sasuke? You okay?"

A hand waved back and forth in front of his face, snapping Sasuke out of his dark thoughts.

"Sorry. Got lost in thought."

"I figured. You had a pretty distant look on your face. Everything okay?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, just...remembering," Sasuke replied.

Ichigo nodded, and they sat in silence.

"Ichi-nii! Sasuke! Dinner!" Yuzu's call from downstairs rang throughout the house.

Both of them stood. Sasuke was still stiff and sore, but dinner smelled so good he hardly noticed it as they made their way to the kitchen.

"Smells like Yuzu made teriyaki chicken," Ichigo commented.

Sasuke didn't care what was being served; he would eat just about anything at this point. And if it was more of Ichigo's sister's cooking, he knew it was going to be good.

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo's father appeared almost out of nowhere, and punched Ichigo in the face point-blank. Before Sasuke could register what was going on, Ichigo was falling backwards, crashing into him. They both fell down, and Sasuke grunted in pain when Ichigo landed uncomfortably on his stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ichigo shouted at his father.

"Horrible reflexes this time, Ichigo. I expect so much more from my son! You should have dodged such an obvious attack!" Isshin replied.

"Yeah, well, maybe you should have taken into consideration the fact that we have a guest!" Ichigo yelled back, standing up and getting into his father's face.

"Guest? Oh, that's right! The young man that I was treating! I couldn't find him again this afternoon, so I thought he left."

Sasuke spent the whole time this little exchange was going on taking in gasps of air. Just what the hell kind of family had he associated himself with? He withdrew his previous statement. Of all of the families that could have found him, he'd gotten the one that was _insane_.

Isshin looked down at Sasuke. "What are you doing on the floor? Here, let me—"

"No!" Sasuke gasped, knowing full well what would happen if he accepted any help from that man.

Instead he pulled himself off of the floor as quickly as he could. Dusting himself off a bit, Sasuke made his way over to the table like nothing had happened and took a seat where Yuzu motioned for him to go.

"Sorry about that," Ichigo said, taking the seat next to him. "My dad can be kind of intense at times. Hope I didn't hurt you when I fell."

"It's fine," Sasuke replied.

Once everyone was seated, they began serving themselves. Sasuke was silently glad to see that Karin was okay. In fact, she didn't look like she'd been injured at all. Nope, the only injured one at this table was him. It was times like these that Sasuke envied Naruto and his ability to heal from wounds so quickly. One of the few perks of having a sealed bijuu inside of him.

Sasuke ate in silence, and listened to the family chatter that was going on. He tried to recall the last time he had sat down for a meal like this, surrounded with friendly company. He'd shared meals with Team 7 plenty of times, sure, but he had never considered all of them a family.

The last time he had been able to sit down and eat a meal like this was when his parents were still alive, and his brother was still around. It was something Sasuke hadn't even known he missed until being immersed in all of this light-hearted conversation. He really missed it.

He missed it a lot.

"So, Sasuke. How long are you planning on staying with us?" Isshin asked him. All eyes were on him now.

"Uh, well, I guess once all of my injuries are healed, I'll get out of your guys' hair," Sasuke said, though he honestly had no idea where he would go.

He had absolutely no money, and even if he did, this was a different world. It probably would be worth nothing here.

"Don't be so rude, dad. He almost died. He can stay as long as he wants," Karin said.

Sasuke knew what she was trying to do. She was the only one right now who knew where he was from. She knew he didn't have anywhere to go. But even so, it wasn't like he could stay with the Kurosaki family forever.

"You're right, Karin. I'm sorry, Sasuke. Of course you can take all the time you need! I just don't want your family to worry about you. They might have police looking for you."

"That's not an issue for him, dad, trust me. Why don't we talk about something else?" Ichigo suggested.

Sasuke was almost glad now to have gotten the uncomfortable conversation about his family out of the way with Ichigo. At least Ichigo was able to speak up for him this time, and he didn't have to say anything about it to more people.

"I think you need some better clothes, Sasuke. Those sweatpants are too long on you. I think they're Ichi-nii's," Yuzu said, lightening the conversation.

He glanced down at the pants; they did trail a few inches long. "Yeah. I just wanted some actual clothes to wear instead of the hospital gown I was in earlier."

She smiled at him. "Maybe we can find you something that fits better. You can't wear sweats forever."

"You don't need to go out of your way for me, I'm fine."

"It's no trouble at all! I'm not taking no for an answer." Yuzu countered.

Sasuke simply nodded, deciding not to start an argument over it.

"How old are you anyway, Sasuke?" Karin asked.

"Sixteen."

"That's the same age as Ichi-nii. He just turned sixteen over summer break." Karin said.

For the rest of dinner conversation topics stayed light. Aside from the occasional weirdness, Sasuke decided that this was a very nice family. They seemed to be very close.

Even though Ichigo's father was kind of crazy at times, at least he acknowledged that his children existed. Sasuke couldn't have said the same about his father. He had been stuck in his brother's shadow his whole life, trying everything to get his father's attention, but nothing had ever been ever good enough.

If it weren't for his mother, who had given him all of the love in the world, Sasuke probably wouldn't have felt a shred of compassion towards anyone. He would have become an emotionless shinobi, like the ones from the ROOT organization Danzou had created. Sasuke knew that he was hardly the type of guy who went around showing concern or making grand gestures, but he liked to believe that he wasn't completely horrible on the inside.

He only had his mother to credit for that.

After dinner, Sasuke asked if he could take a shower, since he could hardly recall the last time he'd had one. Yuzu overheard him, and against his protests, drew him a bath instead, claiming it would be better for his injuries. Once he was finished, he had to admit it had been pretty pleasant, even though it had stung at first.

Ichigo's father made him sit through another painful disinfecting of wounds and application of fresh bandages. Now, back in his t-shirt and sweats, Sasuke made his way over to the makeshift bed that had been fashioned for him on the couch.

Settling onto the couch and burrowing under the covers, Sasuke knew it wouldn't be long before he drifted off. Sleep was calling to him.

"Hey."

Sasuke opened his eyes with difficulty, propping himself up slightly to see Karin standing a few feet away. "Something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to, you know, thank you for saving me today. I wasn't awake for a lot of it, but the things I saw you do, they were pretty cool. I'm glad my brother found you. You seem like a really nice guy. I bet you helped a lot of friends back in Konoha, too. You seem like someone who wouldn't let anyone get hurt."

Guilt crawled its way up into his chest. She hadn't described him just then. No, she had just unknowingly described Naruto. Him? He was the guy that caused all the pain.

"You're welcome," he said. He couldn't bring himself to say any more than that. He didn't want her to know that where he's from, he was one of the bad guys.

"Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I guess I'll see you in the morning. G'night," she said, and then she retreated back upstairs.

"Good night," Sasuke replied quietly, though Karin was long gone.

With thoughts troubling him, he fell asleep.

* * *

The next day proved to be a better one. Sasuke felt less achy and was glad to find that his injuries were finally healing properly. Aside from his distracting thoughts before falling asleep, he had gotten plenty of rest. Yuzu had made everyone breakfast, and then she and Karin left to run errands with their father.

Sasuke had just finished folding the blankets he used on the couch when Ichigo came downstairs.

"Hey. So, since everyone else is gone for the day, I thought maybe you could finally fill me in on your story," Ichigo said, sitting down on the couch.

"Well, that depends. Do you have a couple hours? This could take a while," Sasuke replied, taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch.

"I have nothing else I need to do, so go ahead. I'm all ears."

Sasuke took a breath, and began the same way he did with Karin, starting with how he was sent here from another universe. Eventually he got into his village, the academy, the duties of a shinobi, and the hierarchy that is established from when you become a shinobi to advancing as high as ANBU or Hokage. He went a little more in depth about how three man teams were established and overseen by a jounin. Lastly, he described chakra and how it was used, and how some clans were blessed with bloodline limits, such as his sharingan.

"You weren't kidding when you said this was a long story," Ichigo said when he was finished, shaking his head.

"Should I be concerned by how accepting your family is about me claiming to be from a different world?" Sasuke asked, the words leaving his mouth before he realized what he was saying.

"Wait, what? Nobody else knows. Unless—did you tell Karin about this?"

Sasuke nodded. "I don't know why I ended up telling her, but she asked what my story was, so I told her. I didn't go as in depth as I did just now."

"I guess that would explain why she helped field some of the questions that were asked at dinner. I thought that was weird," Ichigo said.

"So you're not upset I said something to her?" Sasuke asked.

"Not really. Karin is pretty smart. She would know something is off and try to figure it out herself." He smiled briefly. "Trust me, she's been doing it with my whole substitute shinigami gig. I know she knows something is up, and she's annoyed I won't tell her. She'll keep the information you told her to herself."

"Good. It's not something I want broadcasted to the world, whether anyone would believe me or not."

Ichigo gave him a long stare. "You know, you told me about where you're from, but you haven't told me how you got here. Just that someone sent you here."

Sasuke grimaced slightly. They were about to go into uncomfortable territory.

"He's an enemy of mine. I guess you could compare him to that Aizen guy you were telling me about. They're both masterminds who are bent on gaining enough power to control the world. In my world, he's called Uchiha Madara."

"Uchiha...isn't that your name?" Ichigo asked.

Sasuke nodded. "He's an ancestor of my clan, and one of the founders of Konoha. He should be long dead by now, but somehow he's stayed alive all these years. He's extremely dangerous, and the reason why all of the great nations have formed an alliance and are preparing for the fourth great shinobi war."

"That's pretty messed up. How did you end up encountering him? He doesn't sound like a guy who would let himself be found very easily," Ichigo mused.

Sasuke groaned inwardly. What was he supposed to say? He had been wandering around Madara's secret underground lair by accident?

"You've got a troubled look on your face," Ichigo remarked. "Did I say something wrong?"

He shook his head. "I'm just wondering how you'll judge me for some decisions that I've made. None of them are very good."

"Listen, from what I've seen so far, you seem like a stand-up guy. I mean, you saved my sister when you didn't have to. That earns you a lot of points in my book. Until you've proven otherwise, I'm not going to hold your past against you."

Sasuke knew he didn't deserve this kind of trust from someone, even if it was a stranger who didn't know any better.

"Remember the discussion we had yesterday about my family? There's a bit of a story behind that. I have to start there in order for you to understand things."

"Yeah, I remember," Ichigo said.

"When I was eight years old, my entire family was killed. Parents, aunts, uncles, cousins. No one survived. It's referred to as the Uchiha Massacre, and it happened all in a single night in the compound I lived in. I was the only one who survived." Sasuke spoke quietly, unpleasant memories flashing through his mind.

"I...don't know what to say to that." Ichigo said, sounding a little stunned. "I can't even imagine what you went through. Who would do something so messed up?"

"My brother," Sasuke replied.

"Your _brother _did it? Seriously? Wow, I didn't think it could get more twisted than that," Ichigo said. Sasuke could see the disbelief in his eyes.

"Unfortunately, there's a lot more to it than that," Sasuke said.

He began explaining things he thought he'd never talk about with another person. He told Ichigo how that had driven him to become an avenger, and how he had left the village to join Orochimaru and become stronger. He talked about Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, and how they were determined to bring him back to Konoha. He talked about his betrayal of Orochimaru, explaining his true intentions. Lastly, he talked about his battle with Itachi, and his encounter with Madara afterwards. He didn't stop until he'd reached his most recent battle with Madara, which had resulted in him getting sent here.

Once he finished they both just sat there, unmoving. Sasuke wasn't sure how Ichigo would react once he absorbed all of this information.

"So, let me get this straight," Ichigo said, "Your brother, Itachi, murdered your clan, joined the most dangerous secret organization so he could keep an eye on them, kept tabs on Madara, and threatened Konoha that if you were to be told the truth he would betray them. He did this all for you? All because he loved you that much?"

"Yeah," Sasuke replied.

"And you reciprocate by vowing to destroy the thing he sacrificed everything to protect?" Ichigo asked, though it sounded more like an accusation.

Sasuke crossed his arms. "Put yourself in my shoes for a minute. I lived my whole life believing my brother was the scum of the earth. I loathed him. I dedicated my life to becoming stronger so I could kill him. That was my life. And then once I fulfilled my life's ambition, to suddenly find out that it was all a sham? That he was the good guy? That it all happened because he was so loyal to his village and the elders took advantage of that. They used him. Are you telling me that you wouldn't want to go after the people that made him do those things?"

"I don't know," Ichigo admitted after a minute. "It's all seriously messed up. I thought my life was complicated. Listening to you makes my problems seem average in comparison. Maybe even below average."

Sasuke stared at the folded blankets beside him. "You know, your sister thanked me last night for saving her. Told me I seemed like the kind of guy who protects his friends. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I'm one of the bad guys."

"I don't know if I would go so far as to call you a bad guy. Your brother helped you see things his way. And it seems like you're making an effort to be a better person."

"I almost killed a former teammate. If Naruto hadn't stepped in..." Sasuke chose not to finish that sentence.

"Sasuke, let me tell you what I see. I see a guy who had to grow up in a hurry. He had only one thing driving him his whole life, and when that came to an end, he didn't know where to turn. So he took the obvious path. Was it the wrong one? Yeah, but when a chance encounter gave him the opportunity to change his route, he took it, even though it has more twists and turns and bumps along the way. And you know what? That's life. Anyone can take the easy path. Only people who truly want to make a difference in their lives are brave enough to turn away from that and take the harder path."

Sasuke sat there, chest tight, listening to Ichigo.

"What I'm trying to say is, you have been given the opportunity to change who you are. You don't have to be the bad guy if you don't want to be. Prove to everyone that you're capable of changing for the better." Ichigo met his gaze levelly. "'Cause let me tell you what. The guy I've seen so far? He isn't a bad guy."

Was it that simple? Maybe it was. What better time to redeem himself than with people who had no idea about his past, about who he was. Maybe he should stop looking at this as a disaster and instead as an opportunity for a fresh start, to do things right. Become a changed man. And once he found a way back to his world, if he ever managed, maybe he would be ready to finally make amends with everyone.

"Maybe you're right. You're pretty good at giving advice," Sasuke said, surprised and a little impressed.

"Yeah? I usually give crappy advice. At least I give good advice when it really counts, huh?" Ichigo said, laughing slightly.

"For what it's worth, I appreciate it."

"Anytime. And now that I know about your situation, you're free to stay here for as long as you'd like. Maybe we can talk to some people later in the week to see if there's a way to get you sent back to your world. If you need anything, well, that's what I'm here for."

"You're being way too generous," Sasuke felt obliged to point out.

"I'd be an ass if I just left you to fend for yourself. Right now, I'm the only friend you've got."

Sasuke stayed silent. He didn't know how to respond to such a selfless act of kindness. The Kurosaki family were a rare breed. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad here.

His lips twisted. "Well, you're not going to like me pretty soon."

Ichigo's eyebrows rose. "Why's that?"

"No one likes getting their ass kicked in a sparring match. I'm assuming you're no exception," Sasuke said with a smirk.

"Hah!" Ichigo said, eyes narrowing. "You may be a shinobi, but I'm a shinigami. We'll see who's stronger."

"I'm just warning you now. I don't like to lose. I rarely ever do."

"That's something we have in common, then," Ichigo said. "You're lucky your wounds haven't healed yet, or we'd be settling this right now."

"They really aren't that bad. Who says we have to wait?" Sasuke asked, extending the challenge.

Ichigo shook his head. "No way. When I beat you, I want it to be completely fair. That way, when you lose, you'll have nothing to blame it on."

Sasuke allowed his smirk to become a smile. To anyone else this would be a rare sight. Uchiha Sasuke, smiling. Next thing you know, Naruto would be announcing that he was giving up eating ramen.

"Okay, not gonna lie. You two staring at each other right now and smiling? Kinda creepy."

Sasuke and Ichigo turned around to see Karin walking in the door, shopping bags in her hands.

"Seriously though, was I interrupting a moment?" Karin teased, earning glares from the both of them.

"Be quiet, Karin. You don't know what you're talking about," Ichigo said.

"Hey, what you guys choose to do in your free time is fine with me. I won't judge," she said sweetly, laughing when Ichigo threw a pillow at her in response.

"Don't you have other bags to bring in?" Ichigo asked.

"Shouldn't you be offering to help, you lazy bum?" she retorted.

Yuzu came through the door in time to interrupt the bickering before it could escalate. "Sasuke! I'm glad you're here! I bought you some clothes while we were out running errands. Now you won't have to wear Ichi-nii's stuff anymore."

Yuzu walked over and began laying out several pairs of pants and some shirts on the couch.

"This is too much," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "You didn't have to buy me all of this. You should return some of these."

"You...don't like them?" Yuzu asked, frowning.

Sasuke wanted to kick himself now. She looked devastated. "Of course I do," he said, trying to salvage the situation. "I don't know what I was thinking. Thank you, Yuzu."

"Wonderful! That makes me so happy!" Yuzu replied, her mood flipping back from sad to happy so fast he was surprised it didn't give her emotional whiplash.

Ichigo's gaze stopped on one set of clothing in particular. "Hey, why did you get him a school uniform?"

"That was Karin's idea!" Isshin exclaimed, appearing, as usual, out of nowhere and causing Sasuke to jump in his seat. "She seems to believe that Sasuke here will be staying with us for a while and suggested he enroll in your school. While the girls got clothing, I went down to the school and got him into your class!"

Sasuke had to keep himself from smacking his hand into his face. Ichigo's father had just enrolled him in a school without so much as asking? Did the guy have no respect for his opinion on the matter? Sasuke wanted to say he was surprised, but for some reason he wasn't. Looking over at Karin, he saw her grin at him. So she thought she'd get a kick out of watching him attend school? Cruel girl.

"Dad, you can't just enroll people into school!" Ichigo said, echoing his thoughts.

"Sure, I can! Sasuke starts tomorrow! I said you'd show him around and get him caught up."

Father and son exchanged a few more heated words, neither bothering to consult Sasuke, but the end result didn't change. Sasuke was to go to school with Ichigo. He wasn't sure how he felt about all of this. Isshin had guilt-tripped on him, however, pointing out that they had welcomed him into their home, given him food and clothes, and helped heal his wounds. How could he say no when all of those things were true?

Finally, Sasuke and Ichigo retreated into his room. Rukia had not returned, but she was supposed to be coming back soon. Ichigo explained how she slept in his closet, which was...strange, but considering the kind of day he'd just had, not as strange as it could have been. Talking stuffed lions named Kon, he reminded himself. That pretty much trumped everything else.

"What are you going to tell Rukia once she gets back?" Sasuke asked.

"I was thinking about it. All she needs to know are some of the basics, like where you come from, and that we need to find a way for you to get back to your world. I'm not gonna tell her what you told me about your past. That'll just stay between us."

"Thanks," Sasuke said, and meant it.

It was hard for him to open up to someone he barely knew. Having to relive memories that he would rather just bury with his past was hard. It was also something that he didn't want everyone to know about, no matter what the circumstances were. He was glad Ichigo understood that, and respected his privacy.

Given how emotionally wrenching the first half of the day had been, he was more than a little relieved when the rest of the day turned out to be uneventful. Dinner was less awkward this time, and he let himself enjoy the flow of conversation around him, even as part of him wished he belonged to something like that.

Rukia didn't show up, and before he knew it, Sasuke found himself back on the couch, wondering how tomorrow was going to turn out.

But when he fell asleep this time, his thoughts weren't nearly as troubled.


	4. Beginnings

**Author:** Sassy Southpaw

**Story Title:** Broken Promises

**Summary:** Ichigo's already in over his head; the arrival of a stranger makes his life even more complicated. Sasuke wasn't sure he wanted redemption, but when he's thrust into a strange new world, he'll need Ichigo's help to get back—before Madara finds him first.

**Spoilers:** This story contains spoilers for Naruto up to the most recent manga chapters. It also contains spoilers for Bleach up to the Rescue Arc.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or Bleach, nor am I making any profit from this story. The rights belong solely to Masashi Kishimoto and Tite Kubo.

**A/N:** Wow, I can't believe how much time has passed since my last update. Thanks everyone for being so patient! Sorry I didn't get this out sooner, but my beta needed an extra day. Thanks also for the wonderful reviews; I'm really glad you're all enjoying the story :)

**Chapter 4: Beginnings**

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Karakura High School.

Sasuke read the name as he walked inside the large building with Ichigo. The halls were littered with people his age, standing around in small groups and chatting with each other. Sasuke shifted uncomfortably in his uniform. Grey slacks and a white button up dress shirt were definitely not his idea of ideal clothing.

He still wore bandages over his wounds that were taking longer to heal. Most weren't visible except the ones on his right arm, which garnered him a few sidelong glances from curious students. Sasuke frowned. He felt…exposed, and the fact that Ichigo hadn't let him bring so much as a kunai didn't help matters.

"And here we are," Ichigo said, stopping in front of a door. "This is our classroom. The teacher's name is Ochi Misato. She'll probably make you go to the front of the class and talk about yourself. There is one problem though."

"What's that?" Sasuke asked.

"Your eyes. How are you supposed to explain them to a group of students? Not everyone is as gullible as my dad," Ichigo replied.

"It's not a problem. I can deactivate my sharingan—it just results in me having incredibly poor vision. I thought I mentioned that to you yesterday."

"I guess you did. Sorry, we talked about a lot of things. It's hard to keep it all straight. Will you be okay with your bad vision?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, it'll be fine. It's not bad all the time. It kind of goes in and out," Sasuke said. He closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them again, they were black.

Ichigo shook his head. "Man, that's weird. All right. You ready?"

Sasuke nodded and followed him inside. Most of the classroom was already filled with students. Ichigo joined a cluster of people that he could only assume were friends and began talking with them. His vision wasn't as terrible as he recalled it being before, which was interesting. It probably helped that he wasn't in the heat of battle now, and his eyes had gotten a chance to rest. Still, it was frustrating when he tried focusing on people, who were most of the time just blurs to him.

"Oi! Sasuke, I want to introduce you to some people," Ichigo said, motioning for him to come over.

Sasuke nodded and approached the large group. There were so many he didn't know who to focus on first. One girl had dark orange hair, and her personality already reminded him of Yuzu, all smiles, even though she hadn't even spoken yet. Towering at her side was a guy—no, more like a giant. Was this guy really the same age as everyone else? The next guy had dark hair and glasses, and seemed the most reserved of the group.

Ichigo interrupted his analysis to introduce them. "These are some my friends. This is Inoue Orihime, Ishida Uryuu, Yasutora Chad, Arisawa Tatsuki, Asano Keigo, and Kojima Mizuiro."

"Everyone, this is Uchiha Sasuke. He's a relative of mine who is going to be staying with my family for a while."

It had been Ichigo's idea to tell people that they were related. That way, no one would question why he was staying with the Kurosaki family, and it would provide a useful cover identity for anyone who was overly curious.

"Nice to meet you, Uchiha-san!" Orihime said, taking his hand and shaking it enthusiastically.

"You too," Sasuke replied, trying to figure out how to regain control of his arm without hurting her.

It appeared he was right on the mark about Orihime. She sure had a lot of energy for one person. The other girl, Tatsuki, however, was making him uncomfortable. She kept staring at him like he didn't belong.

"So, you're related to Ichigo, huh?" Tatsuki asked.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, not wanting to go any further into that conversation.

Tatsuki turned to Ichigo. "How come I've never heard about him from you, Ichigo? I've known you for years, and you haven't mentioned him once."

"You never asked," Ichigo replied nonchalantly.

Sasuke hoped that she wouldn't press any further. He didn't need any more nosy people in his life.

"Attention!"

Judging by her expression, Tatsuki was nowhere near finished with her interrogation, but thankfully the teacher had come in. Perfect timing.

"Please take your seats now." She waited until everyone was seated before continuing. "Will our new student please come to the front of the class?"

Sasuke walked to the front as he was told, feeling the crawling sensation of two dozen stares trained upon his back. The teacher smiled warmly at him and introduced herself as Ochi Misato. He mustered up a polite smile in response, though it felt stiff on his face. He wondered how this school would compare to the academy he went to. It was probably extremely different, given the fact that his school trained children from a young age to become able shinobi.

"All right! Everyone, this is Uchiha Sasuke. He's a transfer student and will be joining us for the rest of the year. Now, Uchiha-san, why don't you tell the class a little about yourself?"

There was one similarity he could have done without. He remembered Kakashi asking them almost the same thing when they became genin, though his answer this time was quite different. "I'm sixteen. My favorite food is tomatoes, I hate sweets, and I like to practice martial arts."

Scanning the class, even with his less than perfect vision, Sasuke could already see a handful of lovestruck girls, and he wanted to groan out loud. What was it that made girls want to be around him so much? It was an unwelcome flashback to his own academy days where the kunoichi, especially Sakura and Ino, would constantly bother him. He really hoped these girls wouldn't be as irritating.

"Thank you, Uchiha-san! We're happy to have you in our class. Go ahead and take a seat behind Kurosaki-san."

Sasuke nodded and made his way to his seat. Thanks to his poor peripheral vision, he didn't notice the foot that had extended into his path, and he tripped. He used his hands to break his fall, but it still hurt like a bitch with all of the injuries scattered across his body.

"Martial arts, huh? Looks like you need to work on your reflexes," said the owner of the foot, an unpleasant-looking guy with bleached blond hair and several piercings.

Sasuke was immediately pissed off and had to clamp down on his knee-jerk reaction, which was to yank the guy out of his seat and throw him into the nearest wall. Who the hell did this guy think he was? He was extremely tempted to give this guy a firsthand demonstration of just how good those "martial arts" skills were. It was a shame that killing someone in this world got you into a whole lot more trouble than where he was from, at least according to Ichigo. Maybe he had been bluffing. Sasuke wouldn't hesitate to shove a kunai up this guy's ass.

"Oshima Reiichi! Principal's office!"

Oshima threw him a final smirk over his should before he left the room. Sasuke, meanwhile, stood up and dusted himself off, taking his seat calmly, like nothing had happened.

"You okay?" Ichigo asked him.

Sasuke scowled. On his personal scale of pain, which went admittedly high even for a shinobi, this barely rated above a papercut. "Tch, I'm fine."

"That guy is always giving people shit. He always tried to tell me to dye my hair black, thinking I bleached it orange. I kicked his ass later," Ichigo said.

"Hn."

Sasuke tried not to remain pissed off for the rest of the day. He wanted so badly to find that guy and beat him to a pulp. It might not solve anything, but it would make him feel a whole lot better. Anger therapy, he liked to call it.

Instead, he tried to focus on what was being taught. As he looked around, he noticed the students were all taking notes. What was she talking about, anyway? After listening to the teacher for a minute, it became apparent they were starting with a history lesson.

History, he should be good at that. He knew plenty of history. At the academy, they had been required to learn about the founding of Konoha and all of the other hidden villages. They'd also had to study the previous wars and how they had affected the balance of power between villages. Sasuke sat up a little straighter. This wouldn't be a problem at all.

After about an hour, he found out something very important.

He had no idea what the teacher was talking about. She might as well have been speaking another language. Sure, Ichigo had told him about the lifestyle of this world and pointed out things to him, but it hadn't quite sunk in at the time just how different and alien it was. So he found himself now staring blankly at the board, wondering just what the hell he was going to do. He was a supposed transfer student, it was assumed he knew what was going on in the class.

This was going to be a problem.

Sasuke squinted at the board. Even if he did understand any of this, how was he supposed to read anything with his crappy vision? He was too far back in the classroom to be able to focus on any of the writing on the board. He hoped no one, especially the teacher, would notice his issue.

"Uchiha-san, would you please read the first paragraph on page 394 out loud?"

Sasuke stared at the teacher, then down at his book. He hadn't been thinking out loud, had he? No, this was just his luck, apparently. Lifting the book to his face, Sasuke squinted and tried to make out the words on the page. Why did the writing in this textbook have to be so damn small?

"Uchiha-san, is something wrong?"

Sasuke looked back up. An excuse. He needed an excuse. He didn't know how to read. Yeah, that wouldn't make him look like an idiot. Something else. Anything.

"Uchiha-san?"

Ichigo came to his rescue. "Did you forget your glasses, Sasuke?"

"Glasses? I don't—" Sasuke amended his automatic denial, "—think I can read this without them. My glasses. I forgot them at home."

"Okay, no problem. Just be sure to bring them to school if you can't read without them."

Sasuke let out a sigh of relief, and nodded to the teacher. After she resumed her lecture, Ichigo turned around in his seat to face him.

"This might be a problem," he whispered.

Sasuke just stared at him, hoping that his look conveyed the message that he was well aware of the problem.

Sasuke was grateful when lunch time finally rolled around. He was used to always being at the top of class. He'd never struggled like this before, and it was frustrating. Having shitty vision all day was what annoyed him the most. He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep this up five days a week and not go crazy. There had to be some way to fix this.

Sasuke sat quietly and wracked his mind for a solution. Tinted contact lenses were out of the question; they could render his sharingan a more normal color, but the tomoe would still stand out. He ate his lunch in silence, ignoring the conversations going on around him.

"So, you're a relative of Kurosaki's?"

Sasuke looked up at the person standing in front of him. Ishida Uryuu, he believed his name was.

"Yeah," he said curtly. Ichigo's friends were sure talkative.

"You seem awfully distanced from everyone," Ishida said.

"Could say the same about you," Sasuke shot back.

"I'm not denying that. It's just an observation I was making," Ishida replied.

Sasuke stared at Ishida carefully. Was he mimicking him? The voice, the posture—it was like this guy was trying to make fun of him or something. Sasuke shook his head after a moment. He must really be losing it if he thought people were actually trying to imitate him. His voice just sounded a bit similar.

"Hn."

He wasn't going to make idle conversation. He had too many other things to worry about. Sasuke's gaze slid past Ishida, across the courtyard, to the asshole who had tripped him. He was standing around with his buddies, laughing and picking on any unfortunate student that walked by. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Despite Ichigo pulling him aside earlier to tell him to just ignore the situation, his pride was currently winning the silent battle between keeping a low profile and the desire to retaliate. With effort, he turned away and did a brief chakra focus exercise to calm down.

The rest of the day came and went, and Sasuke deemed the second half just as miserable as the first. He expressed his frustrations to Ichigo as they walked home, but he couldn't think of a solution to the problem with Sasuke's eyes either. This must be his punishment for going too far in the first place.

Sasuke recalled his battle with Danzou. He'd been blinded with fury that day, unable to think past his rage. That was when it had all begun. He shuddered slightly at the memory. Reflecting on that moment now was like looking at the shell of a ghost. That wasn't who he wanted to be anymore.

"I wonder why Rukia hasn't come back yet," Ichigo mused, breaking through his dark thoughts.

They were currently in Ichigo's room, having finished eating dinner a while ago. Ichigo had been trying to explain some of the homework to Sasuke, who had actually made progress. Mostly because he didn't have any handicap on his vision in the confines of Ichigo's room.

"It's been more than a day," Sasuke said.

Ichigo shrugged. "I'm sure it's fine. She's probably catching up with her brother or Renji or something."

Renji. Another name in the jumble of names Ichigo had mentioned when explaining the shinigami to him. At least, he thought it was one of the shinigami. Ichigo sure knew a lot of people. Sasuke didn't say anything more. Ichigo didn't sound too worried, and it was getting pretty late anyway. School started bright and early, so it would be best if he retreated to his makeshift bed on the couch.

"I'm going to turn in for the night," Sasuke said.

"All right, I'll see you in the morning. And hey, trust me, it'll get better. We'll figure something out," Ichigo replied.

Sasuke nodded and made his way downstairs. Things _were_ going to get better; he'd make sure of that. Maybe he couldn't fix the problem with his poor vision, but that didn't mean he couldn't take care of other problems. More annoying ones.

Forming a hand seal and muttering some words, a shadow clone appeared in front of him. Giving it the sole order of pretending to be asleep until he returned, Sasuke slipped out of the house quietly and effortlessly.

He smirked slightly. Tonight he was going to have a little fun.

* * *

The next day, while they were walking to school, Ichigo kept staring at Sasuke like he had something on his face. Puzzled and a little irritated, Sasuke finally just pointed that out to him.

"Sorry. You just seem…different," Ichigo said. "I can't place it exactly. Satisfied, maybe. Pleased with yourself."

Sasuke couldn't deny the mood he was in. He was in a much better mood than he had been yesterday, but there was a reason for that. He had indeed had some fun on his little outing last night and couldn't wait to see the results of it at school today.

As they entered the classroom, Sasuke took note of all the groups of students, huddled together and whispering the latest gossip. Pleased with what he was hearing, he took his seat and continued listening.

"Ichigo!" Keigo said, running up to him.

"What it is it, Keigo?" Ichigo asked.

"Did you hear about what happened to Oshima Reiichi?" he asked.

"No, what?"

"Everyone in school is talking about it!" Keigo said gleefully. "They're saying that he went crazy, or something. He refuses to go to school and just keeps repeating the same things over and over again. His buddies say that they saw some shadowy figure last night. It grabbed him, and then not even a second later let him go, and he passed out! He went to the hospital, and when anyone asks him what happened, all he'll say is 'red eyes, red eyes' over and over again."

Ichigo turned to Sasuke, who did his best to look oblivious, turning his head to face the window.

"Sasuke, mind if we have a little talk outside?" Ichigo asked, his voice strained.

"Everyone, please take your seats!" Misato ordered.

When she wasn't asking him to do the impossible and read a page out of his textbook, Sasuke almost liked their teacher. She had really excellent timing.

"Sorry," he said, "can't. Class is starting."

"Kurosaki-san! Please take your seat."

"Excuse me, sensei. I need to have a little chat with my cousin. It's important," Ichigo said, forcibly grabbing Sasuke's injured right arm and dragging him outside of the classroom.

Sasuke winced in pain. "Watch it!"

He jerked his arm from Ichigo's grasp. Ichigo, meanwhile, was glaring daggers at him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? No wonder you've been so smug today. You can't go around mentally scarring a student for life, no matter how much of an asshole they are," Ichigo said, trying to keep from raising his voice.

"I didn't do anything that a little therapy can't fix," Sasuke replied.

"That's not the point. If someone pisses you off, you can't decide to go do something that messes with their mind. Not to mention you're drawing unneeded attention."

"But it's okay to kick their ass?" Sasuke said sarcastically. "Trust me, it could have been worse. I barely did anything! And how am I getting anyone's attention when no one has any clue about me?"

"You don't think people will find it a little suspicious Oshima gets attacked by a mysterious stranger the same day he picked on you, the mysterious new transfer student?" Ichigo demanded. His glare subsided after a moment, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I'm just trying to say that this kind of behavior isn't okay in this world. You need to behave yourself."

Sasuke hmphed and turned away. Who did Ichigo think he was, lecturing Sasuke like he was some kid? He'd only used his Mangekyou sharingan very briefly on the punk, and he'd more than had it coming to him. He'd gotten off pretty lightly, in fact.

"C'mon, Sasuke. After all that my family and I have done for you, the least you could do is not go out of your way to scare people shitless," Ichigo said.

Sasuke looked away and then sighed. He didn't like how susceptible he was becoming to being guilt-tripped. It shouldn't matter to him so much, but here he was, gone from proud to remorseful in ten seconds flat.

"All right, fine," he muttered. "Sorry."

"What?"

"Sorry," Sasuke repeated, louder this time. The word tasted like vinegar to him. He rarely apologized.

"Thanks," Ichigo said, "I guess it wasn't so bad what you did. At least you didn't beat him up. Considering your background that could have been a lot worse."

"You have no idea," Sasuke replied.

When they returned no one spoke a word, and class continued on like the interruption hadn't occurred. Sasuke noticed some of Ichigo's friends, Tatsuki and Orihime in particular, staring at him curiously. He ignored them and thought instead about the various exchanges between him and Ichigo. One minute they would be yelling at each other, both pissed off, while the next minute everything would be fine and all was forgotten.

It was a unique relationship that reminded Sasuke of his ongoing arguments with Naruto. Most of the time it was Naruto doing the yelling, though. He was glad that he and Ichigo were able to come to these silent agreements. Get out the frustrations and that was it, they were both fine after that.

Once the school day was over, Ichigo and Sasuke began the short trek back to the Kurosaki house. They'd barely made it out of the dispersing crowd of students when they ran into Orihime, who had stopped to wait for them. Sasuke threw her a wary glance, wondering what she wanted.

"Hello, Uchiha-san! Kurosaki-kun! You said you wanted to talk to me about something?" she said.

"Yeah. I want to try something, but I need your help to see if it'll work. Do you mind coming with us to my house?" Ichigo asked.

That was the first Sasuke had heard about this. He turned his stare on Ichigo instead, who either didn't notice or ignored it.

"Not at all!" she replied. "I'd be glad to help out in any way!"

Ichigo and Orihime chatted the rest of the walk home, though she made an effort to include Sasuke, asking him a question now and then. He kept his responses short and polite. He was busy trying to figure out why exactly Ichigo asked her over, and moreover, why he had been so secretive about it.

Ichigo waited until they were all alone in his room before explaining what he had planned. "Okay. Sasuke, I want you to lie down on my bed, and close your eyes."

"Will you first tell me why I'm doing this?" Sasuke asked, uneasy.

"Just do it, trust me," Ichigo replied.

Trust? Well, Ichigo had had plenty of opportunities to attack him before. It was doubtful he'd do so now. Sasuke sighed and did as he was told.

"All right, Inoue. I want you to use your powers and heal Sasuke's eyes," Ichigo said.

"His eyes? Are they hurt?" Orihime asked, sounding pretty concerned for someone who had all of two conversations with him.

"Sort of, yeah. Just go ahead and try it, please," Ichigo said.

Orihime made an affirming noise and he heard the light pad of her footsteps on the floor as she approached the bed. So that was what Ichigo was trying to do. If he'd just asked Sasuke, he could have saved him the trouble and told him not to bother. Unfortunately, no amount of healing would ever fix his eyesight, no matter how much he wished it would.

He could feel the faint warmth of her hand hovering a few inches above his eyes. After a moment, he felt a light pressure over his face and something glowed, the light visible even through his closed eyelids. The room was utterly silent, presumably so Orihime could concentrate.

He frowned. This was pointless. He had done extensive research into healing poor eyesight. In his world, there was no jutsu that could fix eyesight, and no amount of medical healing could do enough to make an impact, especially in his case.

After what had to have been several minutes, the pressure over his eyes finally disappeared and the glow faded.

"Okay, I'm finished!" Orihime said.

"I know what you're trying to do, Ichigo," Sasuke said, sitting up. "But trust me, this is something that I've looked into and there's no…way…" His voice trailed off.

He could see. Not just see, he could see clearly. Sasuke was in shock. Did he have his sharingan activated? He dismissed the thought instantly; he would be able to feel its power if it were. But the alternative explanation, that she had been able to somehow heal his eyes was—impossible.

Apparently not, he conceded after a moment. For one thing, he could now pick out each and every individual pore on her face from three feet away.

"What happened?" he asked. He brought his eyes up to Orihime's. "How did you do this?"

"Inoue has a special kind of healing power," Ichigo explained. "Since you first told me about your predicament, I've been trying to think of any way to fix it, especially after your encounter with that punk, Oshima. I figured Inoue would be your best bet."

Sasuke shook his head mutely. He couldn't imagine not having to rely on his sharingan anymore to see. No, even more than that. With the permanent Mangekyou activated, it was very likely that no matter what techniques he used, it wouldn't damage his normal eyesight anymore.

For having such a terrible start to his week, today was turning out to be a damn good day.

"I'm just glad that I was able to help!" Orihime said, smiling at him. "I'd stay a bit longer, but I promised Tatsuki-chan that I'd meet her this afternoon. I'll see you in school tomorrow!"

Sasuke realized suddenly that he hadn't even thanked her yet. "Thank you," he said, unsure if he could ever truly convey how much her healing meant to him. He owed this girl a lot. If he was ever able to return the favor, he would. "Thank you so much."

Once she was gone, Sasuke took the opportunity to ask Ichigo a few more questions about this world. There was so much he didn't know, and he found it all pretty fascinating, especially the whole premise of planes—being able to travel hundreds of miles in mere hours through the sky was mind-boggling. The whole time, though, a single question was bugging him. No matter how he tried to ignore it, it kept creeping to the front of his mind.

Finally, Sasuke decided to just get it out. "Why are you doing all of this for me?"

Ichigo paused for a moment before answering. "Why not?"

"I don't know. I'm just not used to this kind of generosity. You went out of your way to figure out how to restore my eyesight. You're letting me stay here with your family for as long as I need to. You promised to help me find a way back to my world." He gave an uncomfortable shrug. "I guess I feel like I don't deserve this."

"Why wouldn't you deserve it? Sasuke, whatever decisions you made in your world, they don't make you exempt from receiving kindness. If it makes you feel that bad, just reciprocate the best you can with your own kindness," Ichigo replied.

He thought about Ichigo's reaction to his attack on Oshima and looked away. "I guess so."

A flash of movement out of the corner of his eye gave him enough time to turn and watch Rukia appear on the window sill.

"It's good to see you're still in one piece," Rukia said to Ichigo, ignoring Sasuke completely as she climbed into the room.

"Jeez. It's about time you got back," Ichigo said gruffly. "You've been gone for a couple days now. I thought you said it was just going to be a day."

"I know, I'm sorry. Things got a little complicated for a while, but I think everything has since been pretty much sorted out."

"Everything okay in Soul Society?" Ichigo asked.

She hesitated briefly before nodding. "For the most part, yes. We've gathered some intel on Aizen, and some of it is raising red flags. We are going to have to keep an eye on Karakura Town, because there's a good chance that we will be attacked in the near future."

Ichigo's eyebrows rose. "Why would he want to come here? What's Karakura Town to him?"

"We don't know yet," she admitted. "That's why we need to be alert and ready to respond at all times."

"Is this Aizen guy really that dangerous?" Sasuke interrupted.

"Let me just say, if he and Madara were to form an alliance…well, we'd be fucked, that's about the one thing I could say for certain," Ichigo replied.

"Madara?" Rukia asked.

"Oh, that's right." Ichico smirked at her. "Since you decided to take so long, me and Sasuke went ahead and had the discussion about how he got here without you."

Sasuke listened as Ichigo briefly and quickly filled her in on his situation, true to his word about leaving out all of the specifics. He only described about who Madara was, omitting his last name and comparing him once again to Aizen.

"I see. I suggest we go to Urahara-san then to see if he has any solution to this. If there was someone who would know, it would be him," Rukia said.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," Ichigo said.

"Do we have time right now to go?" Sasuke asked, not bothering to disguise his impatience.

The sooner they could find a way for him to get back to his world, the better. Even though Sasuke somewhat enjoyed the more relaxed atmosphere of this world, he had a job to do. He couldn't let himself become distracted by another world's problems. He needed to stop Madara, and the longer he stayed here, the further away it dragged him from his goal.

"Yeah, it's early enough. We have time to pay him a visit," Ichigo replied.

Sasuke just hoped that the man they were going to see had some much needed answers.

* * *

"You're from another universe? How fascinating," Kisuke said.

Once they arrived at the Urahara Shop, Ichigo hadn't wasted any time on introductions and lengthy explanations. Sasuke got a strange vibe from Urahara, but it wasn't a bad vibe. In a way, he kind of reminded him of Kakashi.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied.

He reverted back to his short answers and reserved attitude when around anyone other than the Kurosaki family. He didn't know why he would talk so much one minute and clam up the next, settling for grunts of confirmation or nods of his head. Maybe he felt like he'd been talking too much. The less other people knew about him, the better.

"Your situation certainly is dire, but I believe that it is not impossible to create a portal that will take you back to your world," Kisuke said.

Sasuke felt his heart begin to pound with excitement. Was this guy really telling the truth? "How long would it take you?"

"To create the portal itself? Not long at all. It would involve some research, but to venture a guess, I would say perhaps a month. Two at the most."

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat. That soon? He would be able to return to his world and give whatever aid possible in the war against Madara. He felt some of his worry and impatience drain away. Two months gave him plenty of time to get better, and he could train for the remainder of the time here.

"Unfortunately, there's a catch," Kisuke said.

That stopped Sasuke mid-thought. A catch?

"What is it?" he asked warily.

"While the portal would take only two months to create, it would require a substantial power source in order for it to be activated," Kisuke said.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "How substantial a power source are we talking about?"

Urahara lowered his head, his eyes falling into shadow beneath the brim of his hat. As Sasuke intently waited for an answer, a bad feeling began to creep into his chest.

Urahara looked up finally. "The only thing that would be powerful enough to successfully create a portal to another universe, would be the Hogyoku."

Hogyoku. Why did that sound familiar? Had Ichigo mentioned that to him before? Sasuke thought back to their conversation. When he had invaded Soul Society, during Rukia's execution, after Ichigo had saved her, he had mentioned that was when Aizen had revealed his plans. He had removed something from Rukia, something that Urahara had created.

Sasuke's blood ran cold. The Hogyoku.

And Aizen had the Hogyoku.

All of his earlier excitement immediately rushed out of him, replaced by devastation. The key to returning to his own world was in the hands of a man who was as dangerous and ruthless as Madara, and just as smart. Sasuke wondered now if he really was going to be stuck here forever. Would they ever be able to get the Hogyoku back? It seemed like a stretch right now. According to Ichigo, Aizen had retreated to the center of the hollow world, to a place called Hueco Mundo.

"I see," Sasuke said finally, breaking the silence.

"Sounds like you've pieced it together," Ichigo said.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied, his voice solemn.

"Well, hey," Ichigo said with forced cheer. "At least we know that there's a way to get you back. It may seem impossible right now, but we'll defeat Aizen, and in the process reclaim the Hogyoku. It just might take a little longer than two months."

"I don't have two months!" Sasuke said, voice rising. "How long will that take? Six months? A year? I don't have that kind of time right now. A war is about to break out, and I need to be there when it does!"

Sasuke felt his frustration rising to an all-time high. The way he saw it right now, he really was stuck here indefinitely.

"Well, this is all I can offer right now. We have a mutual enemy in Aizen. Let's do our best and work together to find a way to stop him," Ichigo said.

"By the time that happens, I might not even have a world to return to," Sasuke said bitterly.

"It's all you got right now," Ichigo repeated, not backing down. "Take it or leave it."

Sasuke crossed his arms and huffed. He didn't want to talk about it anymore. Things were looking bad. No, things were looking catastrophic. Now it seemed his only hope in being able to thwart Madara in his attempt to rule the world was figuring out the importance of the scroll he had stolen. He knew Ichigo was right. They needed to work together to stop Aizen. It didn't mean he was happy about it, though.

"Fine," he said.

Everyone kept their distance from Sasuke, who must have been giving out a pretty angry vibe for them to tip-toe around like they were walking on egg shells. Ichigo and Rukia conversed briefly with Urahara, but he didn't really hear any of it. He had too much on his mind to pay attention to anything.

Eventually, they left the shop and returned to Ichigo's house. Sasuke flopped down on the couch without uttering a word. Ichigo and Rukia let him be and walked upstairs.

He would use the time he had to train. That way, when, or if, he ever got back to his world, at least he would be stronger and more capable. It was all he could think of to contribute, besides figuring out a way to read the scroll.

Was it enough? Sasuke wasn't sure as he drifted off to sleep.

It was a restless night of tossing and turning. Sasuke would wake every now and then, his normally comfortable covers feeling stifling. He was sweating for no reason he could think of.

He was surrounded by nothing. He couldn't see, couldn't hear. Suddenly, it was as if a light switch had been turned on. Except Sasuke would have rather had been left in the dark.

He was surrounded by familiar faces now, and they all looked angry.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" Naruto asked. "We're all fighting a war right now, and you're just sitting there and doing nothing? I went through so many obstacles to get you back to Konoha, for this? What a waste! You're a disgrace, and you're letting everyone down! You're not worthy of being my best friend!"

"I can't believe I ever had feelings for a guy like you!" Sakura said. "You're pathetic, and overrated!"

"You were the worst student a teacher could ever ask for. You left your friends and teammates to die. That makes you trash," Kakashi said.

Sasuke tried running away, but wherever he went, everyone was still there, berating him.

"Sasuke."

He turned at the mention of his name.

"Father?" He asked.

"I couldn't be more disappointed in how you turned out. Your brother will always be better than you. I will never truly acknowledge you as my son. You mean nothing to me," Fugaku said.

"Your father is right, Sasuke." Sasuke looked behind his father and saw his mother standing there, a frown on her face. "You were such a crybaby as a child. I constantly had to comfort you. I thought I had another son, not a daughter! Grow up! What's wrong with you?"

Sasuke wanted to curl up in a ball. This was a horrible nightmare. He wanted it to end right now.

"Shut up," he said.

As he spoke those words, he watched his brother materialize in front of him.

"All I ever did was try to protect you, and this is how you thank me? You can't fulfill my only request? Instead you're just sitting around doing nothing. I wasted my whole life because of you," Itachi said.

"Shut up," Sasuke repeated.

"Because of you, Madara is going to succeed now in his plans. Everyone you know will die, and it will be your fault. How can you live knowing that you're the reason why everyone is dead?" Itachi asked.

"Because of you I'm never going to become Hokage!" Naruto said.

"I hate you, Sasuke!" Sakura said.

"I will never be proud of you, Sasuke," Fugaku said.

"You're no son of mine," Mikoto said.

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. SHUT UP!" Sasuke screamed.

He wanted it all to stop. He could hear everyone saying his name over and over again. They wouldn't go away.

"—Sasuke. Sasuke! Sasuke, wake up."

Sasuke's eyes opened and he shot forward. He was drenched in sweat and panting, heart pounding in his chest. He knew it was a dream, a nightmare. He just didn't know how to wake up from it.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked, backing away from the couch.

"Yeah." He closed his eyes for a second and caught his breath. "Just a nightmare."

"I was just getting some water, and I heard you. You were tossing and turning, and kept saying shut up over and over again," Ichigo said.

"I'm fine," he said curtly. "It was just a really bad nightmare. No big deal."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ichigo asked.

"Do I look like someone who shares his feelings all the time?" Sasuke snapped.

Ichigo threw his hands up in a warding gesture. "Jeez. I was just trying to be nice. You look seriously shaken up, so I thought I'd offer. Guess I was wrong."

Sasuke knew he was acting like an ass. He sighed, his guilt getting the better of him. "Look, I'm sorry. All of my thoughts and worries decided to manifest as a bad dream."

"Yeah, all of this seems to really be stressing you out," Ichigo said.

"You have no idea," Sasuke said. "In my nightmare, everyone I know—friends, family, they hated me. They kept berating me for not doing anything. For being a failure. I couldn't get away from them. I couldn't make it stop."

"It's not your fault that you're stuck here," Ichigo said.

"It is, though. All because I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I couldn't contain my anger, and because of that, I ruined the only thing I had going for me at the time. Now Madara wants me dead. He thinks I already am. I could have pretended to be on his side. At least that way, I could have kept him nearby, spied on him. I could have studied him, identified his weaknesses."

Sasuke slammed a fist on the couch in frustration. The one time he'd needed to be himself, to act like the ass he's been for years, and he couldn't pull it off.

"If it were me, I probably would have done the same thing," Ichigo said. "I'm starting to see how similar we are. I can't count how many times I've let my emotions run wild, and the consequences resulted in poor decisions. I still let my anger get the best of me sometimes."

"Yeah, well, somehow I guess your worst decision didn't get you stranded in an entirely different world, for who knows how long," Sasuke said.

"Instead of being pissed off about it, why not make your time here worthwhile? I want to get stronger, and I'm sure you do, too. We can train together, push each other to the max. That way, when we have to deal with Aizen, we'll be ready," Ichigo said. "And when you have to deal with Madara, you'll be more than ready."

Sasuke considered Ichigo's offer. True, it would be beneficial for them both if they trained together. They both had unique talents, and it could be interesting to see what he could learn from Ichigo, and vice versa.

"You know what, you're right," Sasuke said. "We can learn a lot from each other. Who knows? Maybe I'll even pick up a few new techniques. It's better than sitting around, wishing things were different."

The more Sasuke thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Everything he'd done so far since arriving in this world had been reactive, just him responding to events as they happened around him. Now was the time to be proactive, and if he wanted any chance of defeating Madara, this was the logical place to begin.

"Yeah. So what do you say? You ready to get the workout of a lifetime?" Ichigo asked, offering his hand.

"I say I'm ready for whatever you plan on throwing at me," Sasuke replied, grasping the hand and shaking it.

Kurosaki Ichigo. He was more like Naruto than Sasuke would have ever thought.


	5. Accusations

**Author:** Sassy Southpaw

**Story Title:** Broken Promises

**Summary:** Ichigo's already in over his head; the arrival of a stranger makes his life even more complicated. Sasuke wasn't sure he wanted redemption, but when he's thrust into a strange new world, he'll need Ichigo's help to get back—before Madara finds him first.

**Spoilers:** This story contains spoilers for Naruto up to the most recent manga chapters. It also contains spoilers for Bleach up to the Rescue Arc.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or Bleach, nor am I making any profit from this story. The rights belong solely to Masashi Kishimoto and Tite Kubo.

**A/N:** Hey guys! Sorry for taking longer than usual to get this chapter out. February was not only the shortest month of the year but the busiest! I'm hoping the end result will have been worth the wait! :) Thanks for being so patient and enjoy!

**Chapter 5: Accusations

* * *

**

Two weeks had come and gone since Sasuke and Ichigo made their agreement.

As the weeks passed, Sasuke found himself adjusting surprisingly well to his new, temporary life. His relationship with Ichigo grew from wary respect based on common goals into a strong friendship, and the sparring matches between the two of them were among the most exciting Sasuke had ever had. Between his sharingan and Ichigo's bankai, they were able to offer each other a fierce challenge, the battle almost always ending in a draw due to the both of them dropping from exhaustion.

It took a while, but Rukia finally warmed up to Sasuke after their shaky start. They both came from prestigious clans and were able to find common ground that way, sharing stories and traditions. He ended up spending more than a few slow evenings with her discussing ninjutsu and kido and having lengthy debates over the differences. He also decided to show her the scroll to see if she knew of any way to break the seal without damaging the contents. They hadn't found a solution yet, but they weren't giving up.

School life was also becoming more regular for Sasuke. Some of the subjects were difficult to understand at first, but that was where his sharingan came particularly in handy. It wasn't long before he was able to hold his own and earn good grades. And since he didn't have to spend so much time worrying about his classwork, he got to know Ichigo's friends better. Some, like Keigo or Mizuiro, were a bit...out there, but everyone else grew used to his presence and made sure to include him. He could tell that Tatsuki was still suspicious of him, however.

Life at the Kurosaki house didn't change too much. Isshin insisted on putting another bed in Ichigo's room, declaring that Sasuke couldn't sleep on the couch forever. Between him, Ichigo, Rukia, and even Kon, the room was a full house. Sasuke also had to be wary of sudden attacks from Isshin, who decided he wasn't exempt from the treatment he only used to give to Ichigo. Sasuke wasn't sure he enjoyed that dubious honor all that much. It did help keep his senses sharp, though, so he didn't complain.

Never having had sisters of his own, Sasuke was surprised by how well he got along with Karin and Yuzu. He found himself discussing his world a lot with Karin. She always had a million questions, but he somehow didn't mind telling her stories about when his life was simpler.

He also spent more time in the kitchen with Yuzu in the last few weeks than he had in his entire life, even including the excruciatingly boring protection detail Team 7 had been assigned for a second-rate chef in Wave Country, which had mostly consisted of preventing Naruto from single-handedly depleting the kitchen's noodle stock.

At first, he just stopped by for a quick chat or to help clean up, but he started to stay longer, watching her chop meat and vegetables with as much speed and precision as a kuniochi. Then she started teaching him how to cook some of the foods he really liked. After some big disasters—apparently, knowing how to hit a moving target with a kunai from fifty yards away didn't save him from turning raw chicken into a shredded mess when he tried cutting it—Sasuke knew he had a long way to go. Cooking definitely wasn't his forte.

He still had nightmares, but they were becoming less frequent, much to his relief. He was fully recovered now, and his chakra was at full strength once again. Ichigo had refused to begin sparring with him until he was at his best.

Despite the ever-present stress over getting back to his world, Sasuke found himself far happier than he had ever been. He knew it couldn't stay this way forever, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy himself while he was here.

He was currently sparring with Ichigo. During the school week, they weren't always able to find time, but when the weekend came around, it was all they did. Their training ground was a huge underground area beneath Urahara's shop. When he first saw it, he had trouble believing such a large space could exist under such a small, plain-looking store, but it was perfect for what they wanted to do.

"Gotcha!" Ichigo said, coming from behind with his zanpakuto.

He swung down, but his zanpakuto connected with wood. Ichigo let out a curse.

"Dammit, Sasuke! I hate that replacement jutsu of yours. It's almost as much of a pain in the ass as the shadow clones!"

A hand shot out from the ground, grabbing Ichigo's leg and pulling him into the terrain. Sasuke leapt upwards, landing nimbly on the surface and smirking at Ichigo's head, the only visible part of him at the moment.

"A shinobi must see through deception," Sasuke said, repeating his former sensei's words.

"Yeah, well, I'm a shinigami! It's a little different," Ichigo replied, using his zanpakuto to free himself.

They had been fighting for a while now. Both were winded and bruised. Sasuke sometimes opted not to use his sharingan, not wanting to rely solely on its power. This was one of those times. He drew his own sword, and they began trading blows, each showing off their swordsmanship.

"Oi! Ichigo! Sasuke!"

They broke apart at the sound of Rukia's shout.

"What?" they asked simultaneously.

"We have to get going! You've been at it for six hours," she said.

"That's all?" Ichigo said. "I can go for another six hours easy."

Sasuke smirked. "So that means I can go double that."

"Pfft! I'll match you and raise you another six hours," Ichigo countered.

"Oh yeah? Well, then—"

"Boys!" Rukia said, interrupting Sasuke before he could up the stakes any further. "I swear, the two of you together is like being around testosterone on steroids."

Ichigo rolled his shoulders. "Ahh, c'mon, Rukia. We're not that bad."

"I'm sorry, but I'd have to agree with her," Yoruichi piped up, laughing.

"All right, all right. Enough out of you guys. I guess we have to call it a day, Sasuke," Ichigo said.

Sasuke rested the tip of his sword on the ground. "That's probably for the best. I'm starving."

"Let's leave the cooking to Yuzu, this time," Ichigo teased.

"Hmph. I'm not that bad," Sasuke said. He felt his cheeks redden slightly.

"Need we remind you of the rice incident?" Rukia asked, which set everyone off laughing.

Sasuke ignored them, which only fueled the laughter. Once Ichigo returned to his own body, the three of them, plus Kon, said their goodbyes and left the Urahara Shop. It was getting pretty late, he realized. Hopefully they didn't miss dinner. Rukia and Kon retreated into Ichigo's room, while Ichigo and Sasuke entered through the door.

"Ichi-nii! Sasu-nii! There you two are!" Yuzu said.

Sasuke remembered the way he had reacted when Karin and Yuzu had first decided to give him his new nickname. He had insisted that it was unnecessary, but they argued that he was already like another member of the family anyway. He'd found himself at a loss for words, unable to find a counter-argument for that. Family. The word felt foreign to him. It made him uncomfortable. He didn't deserve to be considered part of any family, let alone one that fully and completely accepted him.

"Sorry, Yuzu. I guess we're a little late," Ichigo apologized.

"It's okay! I put some leftovers on plates for you two. They're in the oven staying warm, when you want them." She dug around in a drawer for a set of oven gloves and placed them on the counter. "I'd sit with you, but I've got to finish some homework. I'll see you guys later!"

"Thanks, Yuzu," Sasuke said.

She smiled and nodded at him before retreating upstairs.

"Let's eat upstairs," Ichigo said, grabbing the plates out of the oven.

Sasuke nodded and they went to Ichigo's room, where Rukia was waiting for them. They ate together, Rukia stealing food off both of their plates. Sasuke didn't mind—Yuzu had heaped each plate with an enormous amount of food. He knew they were growing boys and all, but this was a little excessive.

"So, you want to go back to Urahara's tomorrow morning?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Sasuke replied.

Rukia looked at them both like they were crazy. She shook her head. "Can't you guys go one day without training? You're both so competitive, it's ridiculous!"

"Nope," they said in unison.

Then Ichigo turned to him. "Hey, Sasuke. I remember you telling me how your sharingan can do more than just read an opponent's movements. When are you going to use the other stuff in our spars?"

"They're not really something that should be used lightly," Sasuke replied.

He thought of the several other techniques he had so far refrained from using. It was impossible to incorporate them into a friendly spar without causing some monumental damage. No, those techniques were reserved strictly for enemies.

"Well, one of these days I wanna see them," Ichigo said.

Sasuke's mouth pulled into a frown as he met Ichigo's eyes. "Trust me, you don't ever want to be on the receiving end of my sharingan techniques."

"How about if you show them to me, I'll take you to see Soul Society," Ichigo offered.

Rukia whacked him over the head. "Ichigo, you can't just take people into Soul Society whenever you feel like it!"

"C'mon, Rukia. They love me over there. I'm sure there would be no problem if Sasuke came for a little visit," Ichigo said.

By now, Sasuke was used to the constant bickering between Rukia and Ichigo. He ate his food silently while the two argued back in forth. It reminded him a little bit of Sakura and Naruto. He ducked when Ichigo flew a little ways across the room, the result of a hard punch in the face from Rukia, and snatched his plate mid-air before it could spill onto the floor. Scratch that. They reminded him a lot of Sakura and Naruto.

"Jeez, Rukia! That hurt!" Ichigo complained, rubbing his cheek.

Sasuke handed Ichigo his plate. "As entertaining as I find all of this, why don't you two act like mature adults for once."

"You wanna talk about being mature?" Ichigo challenged. "The guy who threw a pot into the street claiming there was something wrong with it, when really you're just that bad of a cook."

Sasuke glared at him as he and Rukia began to laugh. They just loved taking shots at him for his cooking.

"I mean, what did you do for food when you lived in Konoha? I'm surprised you never starved to death," Ichigo said, continuing his teasing.

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I? I managed fine on my own," Sasuke replied, his tone clipped.

"All right, all right, I'll stop," Ichigo said, reading Sasuke's posture.

"Hey, Sasuke," Rukia said, changing the subject, "let me see the scroll again. Last time I was in Soul Society, I read through some books, and I want to try something."

Sasuke nodded. He set his plate on the bedside table and hopped off his bed, crawling underneath it. He loosened a wooden floorboard and released the barrier he had protecting the area. Reaching inside, he grabbed the tiny scroll out of its hiding place and handed it over to Rukia.

As Rukia began concentrating on the scroll, Ichigo turned to Sasuke. "So you have no idea what could be inside that scroll that caused Madara to go ballistic when he realized you had it?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I wish I did. Even if we do get it open, there might be a key needed in order to decode it, and then we'd be back to square one again."

Rukia cursed quietly, and Sasuke's gaze snapped to the scroll in her hands. It was glowing slightly, but the glow was rapidly fading.

"Another failed attempt," she said, shaking her head. "I was nearly certain that would work. This thing is air tight. Whatever is inside must be extremely valuable."

"Why not just destroy it?" Ichigo asked. "That way Madara can never use it for his twisted plans."

"We don't know what it contains, though. What if it was something that could help us and the reason why he had it was to prevent others from getting it. It's too risky," Sasuke said.

"I guess you're right," Ichigo replied.

Rukia handed the scroll back to Sasuke. He wanted so badly to know why it meant so much to Madara to get it back. Would he even be able to find Sasuke? Was it possible? If so, that could mean there was an alternate way to get back to his world. Unless it was only something Madara could do. Somehow, Sasuke doubted Madara would be all that inclined to help bring him back to their world after sending him here. Not unless he used the scroll as a bargaining chip, and he couldn't do that without knowing what was in it. He couldn't take the risk that handing it over would make everything worse. It wouldn't matter then if he was back.

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. His thoughts kept going around in circles, and it was giving him a headache.

"For now, we'll just keep trying to find a way to open it," he said, refusing to think about it anymore.

Before the conversation could go any further, an unusual presence tickled at Sasuke's senses. He couldn't tell if it was friend or foe, but it was heading their way. He tucked the scroll into the weapons pouch he was carrying from his sparring match with Ichigo earlier. He had to protect it at all costs. He looked at Ichigo and Rukia, who both had weird looks on their faces.

"Do you guys feel that?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, "but there's no way it could be who I think it is, right Rukia?"

Before Rukia could reply, a figure appeared in the room. Sasuke tensed, readying himself for whatever was about to happen.

"Nii-sama?" Rukia said.

After Rukia spoke those words, Sasuke realized he was staring at none other than Kuchiki Byakuya. The man hadn't even spoken yet, but Sasuke could feel the arrogance and disdain that he seemed to emit. It's how he often viewed Itachi when he encountered him, before he knew the truth.

"Nii-sama, what are you doing here?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah, Byakuya, it's not like you to show up randomly in this world without notice," Ichigo chimed in.

Sasuke thought he saw him twitch briefly after Ichigo spoke his name, but decided he was probably imagining things. Byakuya turned his head to face him. Sasuke met his cool stare, unafraid and not backing down.

"Uchiha Sasuke?" he asked.

"Nice to meet you, too," Sasuke replied, unable to contain the sarcasm. All business, this guy.

Byakuya ignored his comment. "Uchiha Sasuke, you are to come with me to Soul Society, immediately."

"What if I don't want to go?" Sasuke asked, bristling. He didn't like being ordered around.

Byakuya swept him with a brief, assessing glance that conveyed just how unimpressed he was with Sasuke. "Then I will have to resort to using force."

Sasuke snorted with laughter. As if this guy could really force him to do anything. He'd be in for a big surprise if things came to that.

"What's going on here? How do you even know who Sasuke is?" Ichigo asked.

Sasuke considered Ichigo's comment. It was true. He knew that neither Rukia or Ichigo hadn't even announced his presence to Soul Society, let alone his name. That made the situation more complicated. Who would have tipped them off? There was only one logical answer, but Sasuke refused to acknowledge it. It was impossible.

"This doesn't concern you, Kurosaki," Byakuya said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Like hell it doesn't concern me," Ichigo said, anger evident. "Sasuke hasn't done anything to earn Soul Society's attention, so why does he need to go there?"

"That is none of your business," Byakuya said. "This is an order from Captain Commander Yamamoto himself. Failure to comply is not an option."

Sasuke had no idea how he should react to this situation. If he refused to go, it could cause more problems that he didn't feel like dealing with. If he went, though, he had no idea what would be in store for him, and that irked him.

After a long pause Sasuke made his decision. "Fine, I'll go."

Ichigo relaxed slightly and looked at him. "Well, if you're going, that means I'm going, too. I'm not letting you enter the lion's den without some backup."

"Me too," Rukia said.

Sasuke made brief eye contact with Ichigo, and that was all that was needed for the silent thank you. Byakuya didn't seem to care that all three of them were going as opposed to just him. Maybe he expected it. He didn't waste any time creating the doorway between this world and Soul Society.

After it was complete, Byakuya entered first, followed by Rukia, Ichigo, and finally, Sasuke. He had been enjoying his peaceful time with everyone. He should have known that peace never lasts long. His lips pulled into a grim smile. Well, Ichigo had just pitched the idea of a visit to Soul Society in exchange for showing him his sharingan techniques. Even so, this wasn't how Sasuke had imagined himself visiting Soul Society for the first time.

He had a bad feeling about all of this.

* * *

Sasuke would have expected Soul Society to be more ethereal, given its focus on the spiritual realm. Ichigo had described it to him once as pretty normal looking. He wasn't wrong, Sasuke thought, staring at the various buildings as they passed them. It was certainly vast, though.

He didn't get a lot of time to actually examine the place because they were quickly ushered into a nearby building, one of the larger ones. The trip had been silent for the most part, Ichigo and Rukia murmuring quietly to each other, Sasuke silent as he tried to figure out what was going on.

They reached a set of giant double doors. Byakuya stepped forward and opened them, revealing a large number of people Sasuke didn't recognize. They lined both sides of the room, and at the very end stood an old man. He looked like he'd seen better days, but held himself in a way that made it obvious he was the one in charge. So this was the man who had ordered him to be brought here.

"Captain Commander, I bring you Uchiha Sasuke, as you requested," Byakuya said.

"I see some stragglers decided to accompany him," Yamamoto observed.

Byakuya glanced briefly at Rukia, then away. "They insisted on coming."

Yamamoto nodded, and Byakuya joined the nearest line, leaving Sasuke, Ichigo, and Rukia to fend for themselves.

"Uchiha Sasuke, please step forward. Kurosaki-san and Kuchiki-san, remain where you are," Yamamoto said.

Sasuke stepped forward. He was starting to get annoyed with everyone calling him by his full name. Either address him by his surname, or call him Sasuke. It wasn't hard.

"You're probably wondering why I had you summoned here today," Yamamoto began.

"Among other things," Sasuke replied, wary but neutral.

"There are important matters that I need to discuss with you, relating to a recently exiled Aizen Sosuke."

"Out of curiosity, how do you even know who I am?" Sasuke asked.

"That relates directly to what I'm about to talk to you about," Yamamoto said. "I understand that you currently stay with Kurosaki-san and his family. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Sasuke replied, keeping his answer short. "That doesn't answer my question about how you know who I am."

"We always make sure to keep an eye on our people. Rukia is stationed in Karakura town, and when you associated yourself with her, we took it upon ourselves to learn more about you."

"Wait a minute," Ichigo interjected. "You have people spying on us?"

Yamamoto turned his attention to Ichigo. "Not spy, Kurosaki-san. We merely have other shinigami check up on our own people to ensure things are going well. Surely, given the circumstances of what happened with Kuchiki-san when she was first assigned to Karakura town, you would understand these precautions."

Sasuke could tell Ichigo was annoyed that Yamamoto would have people check up on them. However diplomatically Yamamoto tried to put it, it was still spying.

"So you see me with Ichigo and Rukia," Sasuke said, "and that merits enough attention for you guys to go out of your way to find out who I am?"

"Correct," Yamamoto replied.

Sasuke shook his head. "I still don't understand how you were able to figure it out. It should be impossible."

Yamamoto gave him a level look. "Why would you say that?"

Sasuke stood there for a moment in silent thought. He had to choose his words carefully to make sure he didn't give away too much. That is, if he chose to give anything away at all. His curiosity was getting the better of him this time, however, so maybe throwing them a bone wouldn't hurt.

"Because I'm not from this world," Sasuke answered. "I'm a shinobi. So unless one of your spies was able to learn my name, I don't know how you got it."

"Is that so? I don't know if I believe you. That seems quite far fetched," Yamamoto said.

"Well, it's the only truth I know," Sasuke said, annoyed that he would dismiss his answer so easily.

"Other information we've received contradicts your statement," Yamamoto said. "This information has also led us to believe that you are working as a spy for Aizen."

Sasuke blinked, too shocked to reply. Was he really hearing this right now? Was this some kind of joke? This was the reason why he got called here today? Things were getting more complicated by the second. If they truly believed he was working for Aizen, then Sasuke wasn't sure if they'd just let him walk away. His train of thought was broken when Ichigo stepped up next to him.

"You gotta be kidding me right now!" Ichigo said, breaking the silence. "I know for a fact that you're completely wrong."

"Oh? Then, Kurosaki-san, pray share your reasoning for believing that this boy isn't a subordinate of Aizen's," Yamamoto said.

"Sasuke wasn't lying when he said he's not from here," Ichigo began. "He was sent to this world against his will, and now all he wants to do is find a way back. I plan to do whatever I can to help him achieve his goal. We found him barely alive, and for the past couple of weeks, he's been healing and getting back on his feet—"

Yamamoto held up a hand, interrupting Ichigo. "You said he was sent against his will? By who?"

Sasuke didn't know how Ichigo was going to reply to that. Would he stay true to his word, and not speak of his past to these total strangers? Or would he give in to the pressure and reveal everything he knew, everything Sasuke had trusted him to keep secret? Sasuke didn't trust many people for a reason. This was one of them. The doubt on Ichigo's face made him cringe in anticipation for the truth about to come out.

"It doesn't concern you."

Sasuke stared at Ichigo, convinced his jaw had hit the ground. Then he saw the determination shining in Ichigo's eyes and almost wanted to kick himself for believing that he would sell him out so easily.

"Excuse me?" Yamamoto asked.

"You heard me," Ichigo said, standing tall. "I know Sasuke isn't the bad guy. My reasoning behind it stays private. I don't care what you say, but I know my information is a hell of a lot more reliable than wherever that rumor came from."

Sasuke ducked his head, smiling slightly. He resolved to make an effort in the future to be more trusting towards Ichigo. It was lack of trust in his teammates back when he was a part of Team 7 that started his downward spiral into bitterness and loathing. He wasn't going to make the same mistake here. If Ichigo was willing to go to such great lengths to respect Sasuke's privacy, he'd be damned if he didn't show the same courtesy.

"I've never even met this Aizen, so I don't know how the connection was made that I work for him," Sasuke said, speaking up again.

"I don't know why Kurosaki-san seems to trust you so readily, but I won't be persuaded so easily," Yamamoto said.

Sasuke could hear the anger in the old man's voice. Apparently he didn't take well to being stood up to. If Sasuke recalled correctly, this guy had been a complete ass throughout the whole ordeal with Rukia and the failed execution.

"I honestly don't care if you believe me or not. I'm neither a shinigami nor a subordinate of Aizen, so I don't really think you have any authority to act against me," Sasuke said.

"You claim to have never met Aizen before?" Yamamoto asked, ignoring his last comment.

Sasuke nodded. "Not once."

"Interesting, considering we were able to capture another subordinate of Aizen's, who, when pressed for information, volunteered your name specifically and your purpose. To gain the trust of Kuchiki-san and Kurosaki-san in order to gain access to Soul Society and sabotage it from the inside out."

Sasuke stared, wide eyed. Someone was setting him up. Not just someone, Aizen was setting him up. That could only mean one thing though. He didn't want to consider it was possible that Madara could have contacted Aizen in some way and given him information about Sasuke, but he couldn't think of any other explanation.

Had they made some sort of deal? But if Madara were involved, why would Aizen have set Sasuke up in such a way that he was safe from any attack?

Sasuke's hand grazed his weapons pouch and froze as sudden realization struck. This was all a diversion so that someone could go after the scroll. They probably didn't know that he currently had it on his person. Most of the time, he kept it under the floorboard in Ichigo's room. It all made perfect sense. They had been here long enough that the person sent to retrieve the scroll would have realized that it was not where it should be.

"Listen," he said, meeting Yamamoto's gaze urgently, "I know all of that makes it sound like I'm the bad guy, but it's not true. This is a set up."

Ichigo tensed beside him. "What do you mean?"

Sasuke turned to him. "This is all a diversion so that Aizen's actual henchmen can retrieve something."

Sasuke made sure to put emphasis on the last two words, hoping Ichigo would understand what he was trying to say. He felt relief when he saw the realization dawn on Ichigo's face.

"Well, shit," Ichigo muttered.

Yamamoto cleared his throat. "I don't know what the two of you are babbling about, but until you have some hard evidence to prove that you are in no way affiliated with Aizen, you are to be held in the prison here."

Sasuke turned to face Yamamoto. This guy was causing problems that he didn't particularly want to deal with right now. If he was correct, and Aizen really was after the scroll, who was to say that they wouldn't come here to take it from him? Sasuke didn't doubt that it was possible that Aizen truly did have people on the inside in Soul Society to watch what was going on for him. Hell, all they had to do was wait for his belongings to be confiscated.

"If you imprison me, how the hell would I be able to provide any type of evidence to prove my innocence," he said, pointing out the flaw.

"Don't you get smart with me, boy. Clearly you are unwilling to offer up any more information," Yamamoto replied, waving his hand. "Arrest him. We'll discuss later what is to be done."

Sasuke looked around. He knew the people in here were all captains, so this wasn't going to be easy. He had a bad feeling though that things were about to get worse, and he wasn't just thinking about the situation he was facing right now. Activating his sharingan and using the split second he had, he grabbed Ichigo and formed a hand seal with one hand. They disappeared from the room to the outside, on the roof.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked.

"We can't deal with this right now. I think there might be an attack on Soul Society. Aizen knows about the scroll. There's no doubt that whoever went to retrieve it has figured out it's not there," Sasuke said, his words rushed.

"You still have it?" Ichigo asked, glancing at Sasuke's weapons pouch.

Sasuke nodded. "We can't stay here. I was only able to grab you in the little time I had to flee but we need to get Rukia to open up a pathway for us to get back to the real world. If I'm not here, they won't attack."

"If you're right about being attacked while in Soul Society, then why not instead face them head on and prove to everyone here that you're against Aizen?" Ichigo suggested.

Sasuke briefly considered the suggestion. It would definitely make him look better if he attacked the enemy instead of fleeing from the scene. Maybe it would be enough to clear his name and convince people that he wasn't the bad guy. He still carried the scroll, though, which made him nervous regardless. He couldn't let Aizen get it, under any circumstances.

"That could work," Sasuke replied, "but for now let's move. I haven't proven myself yet and other shinigami will no doubt be after me."

"Good idea," Ichigo said and they took off, leaping from building to building. "So, what's our strategy if we encounter the enemy? Better yet, what's your strategy if we encounter a captain?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I don't want to hurt any of the captains, especially since I'm trying to prove I'm not working with Aizen." His eyes narrowed. "If we encounter the enemy, I won't hold back."

"Well, I've got your back. Most of the captains can be pretty rational, so I might be able to get them to see things our way. Others though, like Byakuya, are set in their ways."

"I'm not as concerned about being attacked as I am about the scroll getting taken," Sasuke said. "I didn't want to believe it, but I think Madara might have found a way to make contact with Aizen. It's the only way they could have gotten information about me, and it's why this whole diversion was created in the first place."

"Are you kidding me? If those two are working together, we're fucked," Ichigo said.

"I know," Sasuke replied. "Do you think anyone is behind us? Or did we get a good enough lead?"

Before Ichigo could reply, a figure appeared in front of them, blocking their path. They had been running for a while; Sasuke was a little unnerved that someone had been able to catch up so easily.

"Byakuya," Ichigo said. "Get out of the way. There are bigger things to worry about besides Sasuke. He isn't fleeing for the reasons you think he is."

"Regardless of his intentions I was given orders to detain him. I plan to follow through," Byakuya replied.

"We don't have time for this," Sasuke said quietly to Ichigo.

Reaching into his weapons pouch, Sasuke grabbed several kunai with exploding tags attached to them. Wasting no time, he threw them at Byakuya's feet. Byakuya jumped away in response but not before the kunai served their real purpose when they exploded in a massive cloud of black smoke.

"Let's go!" Sasuke yelled, turning around. He knew it was a weak distraction, but he didn't want to face anyone that he didn't intend to hurt.

He stopped in his tracks. Four more captains had caught up to them.

One was short and looked like he was still just a kid. Another was a women whose serious expression indicated that she meant business. The third wore a straw hat and was studying Sasuke with an air of consideration, as if he weren't entirely certain attacking Sasuke was the right thing to do. The fourth, however, made Sasuke supress a shiver. He was a huge guy, and he looked like he was out for blood.

And then there was Byakuya still behind them. Sasuke didn't know what to do. They were surrounded now, with no way out.

"Maybe you should just surrender for now," Ichigo said.

Sasuke just shot him a look. He needed to get away and figure out what exactly was going on. He had no intention of doing that from the confines of a jail cell, especially not when it came with the serious threat of someone confiscating his scroll. He wasn't about to hand over something so valuable.

The big man stepped forward, and Sasuke could feel his massive spiritual pressure. Ichigo had explained a bit about spiritual pressure to him, comparing it to chakra. They were similar in that the more you had of it, the more dangerous you were. The man's hair held tiny individual bells, and he smirked at Sasuke like he was ready to pounce for the kill.

"New orders have been issued. Captain Commander doesn't care if the boy is taken dead or alive. If he resists arrest, we are to stop him with whatever force is necessary," he said, eyes filled with bloodlust.

"Enough, Kenpachi! Sasuke isn't the enemy," Ichigo said, trying to run interference.

Sasuke stood there, not sure what the hell he could do to get out of this situation. He had to think. A diversion was useless. All of these shinigami were extremely fast, able to easily catch up to them even with the headstart he and Ichigo had managed. It would be pointless to try fleeing. Fighting them all at once was out of the question as well. Sasuke knew he had power, but Ichigo had told him plenty about what captains could do. If it was one, fine, two, maybe, but five? There was no way.

Sasuke closed his eyes. Think, think, _think, _dammit!

"I'm tired of standing around! If you're not going to make a move than I will!" Kenpachi roared, lunging forward.

Sasuke opened his eyes, and time seemed to slow. The distance between him and Kenpachi was getting shorter and shorter. Something was off though. Sasuke felt immense power coarsing through him, yet nothing was happening. It was the same power he felt when he had opened his eyes for the first time after getting Itachi's eyes implanted.

It was then that he realized his attacker had gotten no further. He was frozen in front of him. Sasuke looked around. Everything was frozen and all the color seemed to have vanished from the world. Was he dreaming? No, that wasn't it. The power he felt seemed like it was pulsing through his veins. Was this the result of his new sharingan? Sasuke looked at Ichigo, standing motionless next to him.

He tried to grab his arm but it was like he was trying to touch a ghost. His hand went right through him. Sasuke focused chakra to his hand, and tried once again to grab Ichigo. This time he made contact, and color returned to Ichigo.

Ichigo stared at him, and then at the bizarre grayscale world around them. "What the—? What the hell is happening?"

"I have no idea," Sasuke said. "I—I think I stopped time."

Saying it out loud made it sound even more ridiculous, and yet there they were, surrounded by people frozen around them.

"How the hell are you doing this?" Ichigo peered more closely at him. "Your eyes...they look different."

"You've seen my sharingan activated plenty of times," Sasuke replied.

"Yeah I know," Ichigo said, "But they look different from that. It's hard to explain. They look like a six-point star."

Sasuke was sure it was his new sharingan that had caused this to happen. Either way, he couldn't spend his time contemplating what was going on. He had to act.

"Let's go," Sasuke said.

Testing a theory, Sasuke tried to attack Kenpachi, throwing a fist directly at his face. Once again, it went right through him like it had when he first tried to grab Ichigo. This technique, whatever it was, was obviously for defensive purposes only.

The two of them took off, and Sasuke silently marveled at the power of the eternal mangekyou sharingan.

"Everything is frozen. This is so crazy," Ichigo said.

After they started making good distance Sasuke felt himself begin to tire substantially. This new technique was draining his chakra rapidly, which was bad. He needed to conserve his energy for any future battles.

"You okay? You're not looking too good," Ichigo said, stopping.

"I don't know how to stop this technique. I don't even know how I activated it," Sasuke said.

He tried relaxing his body. He needed to stop the technique, or he'd be drained completely. Clearing his mind, Sasuke focused solely on stopping the flow of chakra. Nothing was happening. He tried deactivating his sharingan, but found to his increasing dread that he couldn't. The power flowing through him was growing greater, threatening to overwhelm him completely. For the first time in a long time, Sasuke felt himself panicking.

"Shit!" he screamed.

"What's going on?" Ichigo asked, worry plain in his voice.

"If I don't find a way to stop this technique, it's going to drain all of my chakra!"

He couldn't even deactivate his sharingan. He was losing control, not able to contain his own power. He needed to lose his concentration. He needed something to throw him off. Sasuke turned to Ichigo.

"Knock me out," Sasuke said.

"What?" Ichigo asked, looking confused.

"You heard me. Knock me out," Sasuke repeated, losing patience.

Ichigo shook his head. "I'm not going to knock you out, Sasuke. What good is that going to do? It may stop this weird technique, but what if you don't wake up? I'm stuck with dead weight."

"I can't let all my chakra be drained. It's not only inconvenient, it's extremely dangerous. I could die!" Sasuke argued.

"There has to be some other way! I'm not doing it!"

Sasuke yelled in frustration. If Ichigo wasn't going to help, he'd take matters into his own hands—literally. Forming familiar hand seals and not looking forward to the end result, Sasuke watched chidori begin to form in his left hand. Ignoring the yelled protests from Ichigo, and before he could stop him, Sasuke held his hand to his stomach. Being on the receiving end of your own technique was an odd experience. This was twice now that Sasuke had used chidori on himself, the first being his battle against Deidara, in order to deactivate his clay bombs.

It was painful but bearable. Sasuke had made sure not to go all out. The attack knocked him backwards, and once the dust that had kicked up settled, he was relieved to see that everything around him had returned to color. He felt the overwhelming power of his sharingan begin to decrease substantially. He was in control again. He hoped in the future, he would be able to find a better way to end that technique, as well as know how to willingly activate it.

Ichigo was right at his side. "You're insane! Who the hell attacks themselves? What was the point? Now you're chakra deprived _and _injured!"

The shouting didn't bother him; he knew Sasuke was just concerned about his well-being.

"It stopped my technique is what it did," he said.

"Yeah, but at what cost?" Ichigo grumbled, offering a hand to Sasuke, who grasped it and was pulled up.

Sasuke felt pain as he stood up, but it was minimal. "Well, at least I can think straight now. Let's get going."

"Why leave now? The fun is just about to start."

Sasuke and Ichigo turned to the direction of the unfamiliar voice. Three figures stood in the shadow of the building in front of them. The one in the middle stepped forward. Sasuke noticed the eerie smile on his face, and braced himself for the fight that was undoubtably imminent.

"Aizen?" Sasuke asked Ichigo quietly.

"No," Ichigo replied, drawing his zanpakuto.

"You must be Uchiha Sasuke. I've heard a lot about you. More importantly, you have something that we want," the man said, smile still present.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Must have the wrong guy," Sasuke said, fighting the impulse to touch his weapons pouch. He didn't want to alert these people to where he kept the scroll, no matter how small a movement.

"Based on the description I was given, you are most certainly the right guy," the man replied, taking another step forward.

Sasuke watched as he drew his sword, a zanpakuto, he realized. This guy was also a shinigami.

"Ichigo, who the hell is this guy?"

"How rude of me. Please allow me to introduce myself," the man said.

"He's Aizen's right hand man," Ichigo replied.

"Ichimaru Gin."


	6. Disaster

**Author:** Sassy Southpaw

**Story Title:** Broken Promises

**Summary:** Ichigo's already in over his head; the arrival of a stranger makes his life even more complicated. Sasuke wasn't sure he wanted redemption, but when he's thrust into a strange new world, he'll need Ichigo's help to get back—before Madara finds him first.

**Spoilers:** This story contains spoilers for Naruto up to the most recent manga chapters. It also contains spoilers for Bleach up to the Rescue Arc.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or Bleach, nor am I making any profit from this story. The rights belong solely to Masashi Kishimoto and Tite Kubo.

**A/N:** Hey there! I'm aware that I haven't updated in several months and I'm not going to tell you some sad story or cliche excuse. Sometimes you lose your motivation to write, it happens. I still thoroughly enjoy writing this story and plan to pick up right where I left off! Hope you enjoy the chapter as I had a ton of fun writing it and made sure to make it especially long! My motivation has returned :)

**Chapter 6: Disaster**

* * *

"Ichimaru Gin."

Sasuke sucked in a breath and assessed the situation before him. Ichigo had spoken briefly about Ichimaru to him. He had prevented Ichigo and his friends from entering Soul Society, going as far as to wound the guardian of the gate. Ichigo had made it clear that he was not to be taken lightly. No captain was.

Reactivating his sharingan, Sasuke checked his chakra reserves. His unexpected new technique had drained him about halfway. That didn't leave him a whole lot of options, but it was enough to still put up a good fight. Ichigo was with him, as well, which doubled their chances for a victorious fight.

The two figures that flanked Ichimaru stepped forward into the sunlight. They didn't look quite like shinigami, but both carried what were clearly zanpakutos. And yet, Sasuke noticed, they most certainly possessed qualities that resembled hollows. Both had holes through their bodies—one in his lower abdomen, the other right below his throat. Their faces also bore remnants of what Sasuke recognized as hollow masks.

"Allow me to introduce my company," Ichimaru spoke up again, gesturing to the two next to him, "Ulquiorra Cifer and Grimmjow Jeagerjaques."

Sasuke glanced at Ichigo. "Have you ever seen these guys before?"

"Just Ichimaru," Ichigo replied, voice tense.

"No need to whisper," Ichimaru said. "We've only come for the scroll that Uchiha-san currently possesses. Hand it over now, and no violence will be necessary."

"No violence!" Grimmjow scowled. "That isn't what you told me before I got dragged into this—"

"Silence, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra interrupted, holding up a hand.

Sasuke noted the defiant look in Grimmjow's face after Ulquiorra silenced him. He kept his mouth shut but certainly didn't look like he was happy about it. Clearly he wasn't one for taking orders. Sasuke looked back at Ichimaru, whose face seemed to be permanently stuck in a creepy smile. He showed no other emotion. Hell, he'd spoken to Sasuke as if he were asking for a writing utensil instead of demanding a powerful scroll.

Not wanting to resort to violence just yet, Sasuke decided it was best to keep him talking. "I don't think you thought this plan through."

"Oh?" Ichimaru inquired, smile not slipping an inch.

"You decide to attack us in Soul Society, a place that is crawling with shinigami. I'm sure the captains that have been pursuing us we'll have no trouble catching up and coming to our aid, you being a mutual enemy and all," Sasuke explained, unable to keep the smug look off of his face.

"Sasuke's right," Ichigo said. "You think people won't notice when we start kicking your asses?"

"Maybe we should go easy on them. It's not their fault they're idiot henchmen who have trouble formulating a coherent th—" Sasuke broke off mid-sentence as a large explosion in the distance shook the ground.

When the dust cleared, he could see that one of the larger buildings was in the process of collapsing. Thick, black smoke rose into the air, and piercing wail of alarms could be heard all around. The building next to it suddenly followed suit, and he felt the percussive boom of the delayed shock wave deep in his chest. More smoke rose ominously.

Ichimaru gave a cheerful shrug in the direction of the explosions. "That's why no one will be bothering us while we do business. We have no trouble following through with a plan. The three of us aren't the only ones in Soul Society right now. Everyone will be too busy dealing with that disaster now instead of coming to help you."

Swallowing a nasty curse, Sasuke traded glances with Ichigo. Considering all they'd been doing since arriving in Soul Society was react to Aizen's machinations, it had been stupid to assume his lackeys would come after them without a solid plan. How could these people really be so many steps ahead of them, though? It was Aizen's fault he had been taken to Soul Society, but had he anticipated that Sasuke would have kept the scroll on his person?

Either way, it was clear now that they were on their own for the time being.

"Now, Uchiha-san," Ichimaru said politely, once they'd had time for the situation to sink in, "will you give up the scroll willingly? Or will we have to resort to bloodshed?"

Sasuke leveled his gaze with Ichimaru. The last battle he had gone all out in was against Madara, if you could call that a battle. He hadn't been very successful. Before that, he had encountered his old team. Blinded with rage, he had nearly killed Sakura. Had Naruto not intervened, he was certain he would have forfeited any chance to ever be accepted back to Konoha. Sasuke tensed. Reliving those memories was almost like watching himself in an out of body experience.

"I'm not giving the scroll up, no matter what you throw at me," Sasuke said.

Ichigo drew his zanpakuto and stepped in front of Sasuke. "And you'll have to get through me if you want to get to Sasuke."

"What are you doing?" Sasuke demanded.

"Like you said, they can't get the scroll no matter what." Ichigo settled into guard position. "I'll hold them off. You need to get out of here."

"I'm not going to let you have all the fun," Sasuke retorted. "And I'm not going to let you get yourself killed protecting me or the scroll."

"Pfft. As if I'd let myself get killed. I'll be fine. Just go."

Sasuke shook his head. "If anything, I should be protecting you. With everything you and your family have done for me, I could never face them if I let you die over something that concerns me alone."

"There you go again with that alone crap," Ichigo said, shooting him a frustrated glare. "How many times do I have to tell you? You're not alone anymore. You're my friend. Your business _is_ my business. So stop acting so stubborn, and let me help you!"

"Well, I'm not leaving." Sasuke squared his feet.

"Neither am I." Another long stare, then Ichigo shrugged. "I guess we'll just take them on together."

"All right, fine."

"Fine," Ichigo said.

"Jesus, are you two done bickering?" Grimmjow said disgustedly. "I thought we were here to fight powerful men, not a pair of sissy, emotional little girls."

Sasuke and Ichigo focused their glares on Grimmjow, but Sasuke's quickly turned speculative. To be successful, they had to be quick and efficient. Any misstep could get the both of them killed.

Fortunately, they weren't completely unprepared. During the time Sasuke and Ichigo had been training together, Urahara had pointed out that they spent all their time fighting each other, and no time working together as a team. To remedy this, they had spent more than a couple days fighting two-on-one, Sasuke and Ichigo against Urahara. Now was the time to see if their hard work would pay off.

"All right, you know what to do?" Ichigo asked quietly.

Sasuke nodded, and without skipping a beat, formed a hand seal and muttered some words. Three shadow clones appeared beside him. Barely any time had passed before they all went after their respective targets, one clone per enemy. Sasuke drew his own sword, and after focusing chakra to his hand, prepared to strike with one of his more powerful Chidori attacks.

"Chidori Nagashi!"

Slamming his sword into the ground, Sasuke sent the electrical currents of Chidori towards his opponents, who were still occupied with the shadow clones. Smoke from one of the shadow clones disappearing obscured his vision, and before he could complete his attack, a sword came towards him.

Sasuke narrowly dodged Grimmjow's blade, landing on the roof of a nearby building.

"Looks like you're not just all talk," Grimmjow said, a smile creeping onto his face.

Ichimaru and Ulquiorra joined Grimmjow, and Sasuke wasted no time in preparing his second attack. Grabbing three shuriken from his weapon's pouch, Sasuke threw them at his attackers. The shuriken flew past all three of them.

"You missed!" Grimmjow laughed, taunting Sasuke. "How the hell can you miss when we're right in front of you!"

Sasuke smirked slightly, watching the shuriken serve their true purpose. As the words came out of Grimmjow's mouth, the shuriken began encircling the three of them, and Sasuke closed his fist, tightening the chakra strings he had attached to the shuriken, binding all three together.

"What the—?"

"Now, Ichigo!" Sasuke yelled, jumping back.

Ichigo nodded, his zanpakuto glowing softly. Sasuke had been sufficiently distracting to allow Ichigo enough time to prepare his attack without interruption.

"Getsuga Tensho!"

Ichigo brought his sword down, and Sasuke watched the immense power of Ichigo's technique destroy everything in its path, creating a uniquely shaped crater he had seen plenty of times when training at Urahara's.

Sasuke appeared next to Ichigo, unable to see the damage yet through all of the smoke and dust floating in the air.

"Did we get them?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know. Seems unlikely. Hopefully we wounded them a bit," Ichigo replied.

That next instant, Sasuke sensed a presence behind them. He grabbed Ichigo, leaping back before either could get pierced by the zanpakuto aimed at them. Still in the air, Sasuke was caught off guard when the sword increased in length and barrelled straight towards him at a rapid pace. Breaking away from Ichigo, Sasuke used his own sword to keep the zanpakuto from piercing him, but the force of it kept driving him back further and further into the air.

Feeling another presence close by, Sasuke turned around but was unable to stop himself from running straight into Ulquiorra. He grabbed Sasuke's arms, immobilizing him.

"You lack technique. Your attacks are rough and aren't powerful enough to do any real damage," Ulquiorra said, using his free hand to stab Sasuke in the chest with his zanpakuto. "You're uninteresting and expendable."

"How about this, then?" Sasuke asked from behind, Chidori activated in his hand. The shadow clone that had been stabbed disappeared, and Sasuke attacked Ulquiorra point blank in the chest, Chidori sending him straight to the ground through one of the buildings.

Sasuke harumphed as he landed on the nearest rooftop. His techniques didn't lack power. He looked over at Ichigo, who was currently fighting a pretty even battle with Grimmjow. Sasuke watched Ichimaru join in, however, and the battle became one-sided pretty quickly. A hard punch from Grimmjow sent Ichigo flying through the air, crashing into the ground.

"Dammit!" Sasuke cursed out loud, rushing to Ichigo's aid.

Before he got there, a figure appeared in the air above the ground where Ichigo had fallen. Sasuke's sharingan barely caught the movement, it was so fast. It didn't take him long to realize that Ichigo had activated his bankai. He appeared next to Sasuke in an instant.

"You all right?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm fine, don't worry," Ichigo said. "Let's end this."

He nodded. "I couldn't agree more."

Ichimaru, Ulquiorra, and Grimmjow appeared across from them. Sasuke was satisfied to see that Ulquiorra looked pretty injured from his attack. He checked his chakra reserves. They needed to end this battle soon, or he'd be out of chakra in no time.

Sasuke raised his sword. "How about we take them on back to back?"

"As long as you can keep up," Ichigo said with a smirk.

"Don't make this a competition," Sasuke shot back. "You know it always ends in me winning."

Their enemies launched a simultaneous attack then, and there was no more time for bickering. By guarding each other's back, they were able to stand their ground against the three-pronged attack. As the fight pressed on, however, an uneasy feeling started to creep over Sasuke. A dark presence seemed to be right there in the thick of it, but it wasn't coming from any of their attackers.

Sasuke noticed Ichigo starting to waver. At first he thought Ichigo had finally detected the presence as well, but the reaction was too strong. What was going on? Ichigo had fought Sasuke numerous times with his bankai and hadn't had any issues.

A swift kick from Ichimaru sent the distracted Ichigo flying through the air, taking Sasuke with him as they crashed onto another rooftop.

"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke asked, lifting himself up. "You never have any trouble when we spar with your bankai activated. You've lasted way longer than this."

The dark energy kept growing, and he realized suddenly that it was coming from Ichigo. What the hell was happening?

"Ichigo? Ichigo! Answer me!" Sasuke said, panicking a little. Ichigo was propped up by his arms, but he couldn't see his face.

"Sas…uke… Run…"

The voice was coming from Ichigo, but it didn't sound like him at all.

"What's going on? Why do you—"

Sasuke was cut off by a sudden flash of movement. He couldn't stop the sword from slashing across his body and sending blood arcing through the air. None of it surprised him more, however, than the fact that the attack had come from none of their enemies, but from Ichigo himself.

Sasuke shook his head through a haze of pain. It wasn't Ichigo. His face was covered by a hollow mask. Ichigo had explained to Sasuke how a darker version of himself resided inside of his being, waiting for Ichigo to slip up so it could take over. He called it his inner hollow. Sasuke didn't know if he'd be of much help right now. This was one battle that Ichigo had to face alone.

"You talk too much," Ichigo said in that alien voice as he brought his sword to bear again, "so why don't you just lie there while I have a little fun!"

"What the hell is going on, Ichimaru!" Grimmjow demanded. "You never told us that we'd be dealing with something like this! Why is his face covered in a hollow mask?"

Ichimaru had no time to respond. Ichigo launched himself at them in a blur of motion, attacking all three with vicious, mindless fury.

Now that his life wasn't in immediate danger, Sasuke took the time to assess his wound. It was deep, starting from his top left shoulder and going across his body to his lower right abdomen. It didn't seem to have hit any major arteries or organs, but when he tried to move it caused him to bleed even more. If he wasn't careful, he could pass out from blood loss. Or worse, die from it.

"Damn," he cursed softly, feeling a little light-headed already.

Thankfully, Ichigo wasn't having any issues right now, aside from the fact that he wasn't himself. Sasuke sat up a bit, wincing when the blood from his wound gushed harder as he shifted. He needed Ichigo to snap out of it, or they'd both be dead in no time.

A figure appeared behind him, knocking Sasuke's sword away before he had a chance to grab it. He placed a foot over Sasuke's stomach and applied slow and deliberate pressure on the open wound. Sasuke gasped at the blinding pain.

"This has gone on long enough," Ulquiorra said, reaching into Sasuke's weapon's pouch and extracting the scroll.

Sasuke reached feebly to stop him, but Ulquiorra made a noise of impatience and pressed his foot harder into Sasuke's stomach. His vision whited out for a second from the extreme pain. A yell in the distance brought Sasuke back to his senses, and he turned his head, looking for the source.

Ichigo was struggling, but not with Grimmjow or Ichimaru. It looked like he was trying to regain control. Sasuke hoped for Ichigo's sake that he would.

Ulquiorra took his foot off of Sasuke's stomach and disappeared, and Sasuke let the pure adrenaline coursing through his body give him the strength to lift himself up. Ulquiorra had the scroll, but if he didn't help Ichigo, who was vulnerable right now, he would probably never forgive himself.

Jumping to the rooftop where the battle was, Sasuke watched Ichigo break the hollow mask that was covering his face, the pieces fading away into nothing. He looked at Sasuke for a brief moment, relief shining on his face, before promptly passing out.

"Wonderful," Sasuke muttered, standing over the unconcious Ichigo.

"I have the scroll," Ulquiorra said, appearing next to Ichimaru.

"Excellent," Ichimaru replied, accepting the scroll from him and tucking it away.

Sasuke didn't know what to do at this point. He was drained of his chakra and dizzy from blood loss. Pretty soon he'd be unconscious, just like Ichigo. He couldn't let that happen. Not until he knew they were both out of harm's way. Maybe now that Ichimaru had what he wanted, they would just leave.

"You know, this would have been so much easier had you just opted to give up the scroll at the beginning," Ichimaru said.

"I've never liked doing things the easy way," Sasuke replied, hands slick with blood as he applied pressure to the worst of his injuries.

Ichimaru shrugged. "Since you're no longer of any use, I don't see why we shouldn't just dispose of you now."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Of course the opposite of what he wanted to happen would happen instead. He glanced over at Ichigo. It didn't look like he would be waking up any time soon. Ulquiorra stepped forward, reaching his arm out towards Sasuke and Ichigo.

Sasuke saw a tiny green dot form at the tip of his outstretched index finger and expand at an alarmingly fast pace. He knew, distantly, that if he didn't do something, they would both die right here. Sasuke closed his eyes. Mustering up all that he could in such a short amount of time, he opened his eyes, activating his Mangekyou sharingan and throwing up a defense at the same moment Ulquiorra fired his green energy blast at them.

Sasuke felt the warmth of the blood trailing down both of his eyes as Susanoo stood before him, blocking the blast completely with its shield. Though relieved that he had reacted in time, Sasuke knew he was at his limit. Susanoo would only last for maybe another minute, two maximum. He wouldn't be able to deflect a second attack, if there was one.

"You are certainly an interesting one, Uchiha Sasuke," Ichimaru said. "Unfortunately, the reinforcements that you were counting on earlier are about to arrive. I'm sure we'll cross paths again in due time. Your reflexes are what saved your life. You might not be so lucky the next time."

A portal appeared and they all entered it one by one, with Grimmjow lingering behind. Sasuke hadn't noticed it before, but he looked pretty badly injured. Must have been from when Ichigo's inner hollow had taken over.

"You tell Kurosaki Ichigo that this isn't over," Grimmjow snarled, before entering the portal and disappearing.

Once they were gone, Sasuke deactivated his sharingan completely, and Susanoo disappeared. Sasuke's adrenaline was beginning to die down. His breathing became heavier and the pain of his wounds hit him with fresh intensity. Sasuke glanced down at the ground. He was standing in a pool of his blood. How was he still standing? Better yet, how was he still conscious?

Not for long, though. His vision was starting to go in and out, dimming and brightening in time with the waves of pain. Sasuke looked up. Figures in the distance were approaching, fast. Sasuke hoped that Rukia had been able to convince them that he wasn't Aizen's subordinate, especially since they had come dangerously close to killing him and Ichigo.

Unable to support himself with his legs any longer, Sasuke collapsed to the ground.

His eyes became heavy, and Sasuke's last conscious thought was that it was really annoying, how he kept ending up like this.

* * *

The low murmur of voices woke Sasuke from what felt like a deep sleep. Instinctually feeling his eyes and face before opening them, Sasuke deemed it safe to open them and figure out where he was. It looked like a standard room. Was he still in Soul Society? He didn't even know.

"Morning, sunshine," Rukia said with a teasing smile.

Sasuke grunted in reply. He hadn't even noticed her sitting next to the bed he was in. Slightly more alert now, he noted that there were more people in the doorway talking in hushed voices. They looked like shinigami, so he assumed that he really was still in Soul Society. On a positive note, he wasn't behind bars. At least not yet.

"Here, drink some water."

Sasuke accepted the cup of water from Rukia and took a couple sips. He was really getting sick of being injured all the time. It seemed like lately he'd been spending more time in hospital beds than he ever had back in his world.

"Do you have it?" he asked, surprised at how hoarse his voice sounded.

Rukia nodded, and discreetly pulled out a tiny scroll, showing it to him. Sasuke let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in. It was safe. He didn't know how long it would take for Aizen or Madara or whoever to realize that the scroll they had was a decoy he had created for situations such as the one that had just presented itself. Sasuke was a shinobi. If he wasn't stealthy and sneaky, then he wasn't doing his job. It wasn't just the bad guys who could think ahead more than two or three steps.

Sasuke cleared his throat a little bit. "We'll need to figure out a safe place to put it, but not right now."

Rukia nodded and put it away. The fewer who knew about the real scroll, the better. Sasuke didn't trust many people, if any, in Soul Society. It didn't matter what world he was in, corruption existed everywhere. Aizen could have easily bought or corrupted other shinigami to be his eyes and ears. The question was, how far up the hierarchy did it go? Pretty far, apparently, Sasuke reminded himself, considering Aizen had had not one, but two other captains on his side when he revealed his true self.

Sasuke frowned. "Where's Ichigo?"

"He's around here somewhere. His injuries weren't very severe, so he's been doing a bit of damage control. He was able to convince enough of the captains that you weren't acting as a spy, though it wasn't hard. Apparently, they saw you deflect a cero blast with some sort of shield. Ichimaru escaped just before they arrived."

Sasuke tried to sit up—then winced. There was the pain he was so familiar with these days. He was covered in bandages that stretched over his abdomen and chest. He was also wearing the same outfit that Rukia and Ichigo wore when they went out to fight hollows. In fact, it was what he saw every other shinigami wearing, save for some minor modifications for some. Perhaps it was the only type of clothing the place had available.

Rukia swatted him. "Your wounds, on the other hand, were pretty bad. You had already lost a lot of blood by the time we arrived, but the captain of the Fourth Division was able to fix you up. You're going to have to take it easy for a while, though. There might be some scarring as well. It was a pretty deep wound."

Sasuke started to sit up fully, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and ignoring Rukia's protests.

"Didn't I _just_ tell you to take it easy?"

"It's fine, I know my limits," Sasuke replied.

He wanted to talk to Ichigo. Not to mention he was in yet another foreign world, and he didn't want to appear weak in front of people he didn't know. He gingerly made his way to the door only to find himself face to face with a woman. He recognized her as one of the captains from his brief meeting when he was being accused of being a spy.

She smiled at him. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better. I'm Unohana Retsu, captain of the Fourth Division, and the one who healed your wounds. Would you mind sitting back down so I can examine you?"

"It's okay. I feel fine," Sasuke said.

"Please, sit down," she said pleasantly, gesturing towards the bed.

Sasuke didn't know what had just happened, but the air around them suddenly became charged with tension. Wary now, he sat back down without a word. The tension evaporated almost immediately. This woman, whoever she was, was scary.

After removing the top half of Sasuke's clothing, Unohana began taking off the bandages. Sasuke stared at the wound once all the bandages were gone. It was definitely one of the more severe injuries that he'd received. Rukia had mentioned there might be scarring, but for the most part it had been treated very well.

Unohana began smearing a thick, cool paste with a heavy medicinal smell directly over the gash. It stung as she rubbed it in, but Sasuke didn't voice his discomfort.

"Jeez, who did that?" Ichigo asked, standing in the doorway.

Sasuke was about to crack a smile, thinking Ichigo was joking, but when he looked at him, it became obvious that Ichigo was being dead serious. Did that mean that he didn't remember what happened when his inner hollow took over? The thought was sobering. Sasuke didn't want to have to break the news to Ichigo that it was his fault he had lost so much blood.

"Last time I saw you, you were dead weight," Sasuke said jokingly, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. I guess it's thanks to you we're both walking away with minor injuries. Well, my injuries are minor at least. Seriously, which one got you? Ichimaru, right? His zanpakuto can be pretty dangerous, since it can increase in length."

Sasuke looked down. He wasn't sure he wanted to do this in front of other people. He'd rather let Ichigo know privately before anyone else found out the truth. Unohana finished replacing the old bandages with new ones and stood up.

"Everything seems to be healing nicely," she said as she walked over to a sink and began washing her hands. "You're a rather stubborn boy. There were moments where I thought we might lose you, but you hung on. Take a week or two to let the sword wound heal completely. It's what will take the longest."

"All right. Thank you," Sasuke said, making an effort to be polite to the person who had most likely saved his life, though the boy comment made him twitch slightly.

She gave him a smile and nod, and then left the room.

"Hey, Rukia," Sasuke said. "Do you mind if I talk with Ichigo privately for a minute?"

"Sure, I'll be back in a bit," Rukia said, eyeing him strangely.

Once she was gone, Sasuke turned to Ichigo. How was he supposed to say this? It wasn't like he blamed Ichigo for anything. He hadn't been himself at the time, Sasuke understood that. He just hoped Ichigo would be able to move past this without any drama.

"So, you asked me who gave me this injury," Sasuke said, trying to find a way to ease into the truth. "It wasn't Ichimaru."

"You can't expect me to believe it was Grimmjow. That guy's all brute force, no technique. Was it Ulquiorra?" Ichigo asked.

"No, neither of them," Sasuke replied.

Confusion flashed over Ichigo's face; he crossed his arms. "Then who was it? Don't tell me one of those assholes from Eleventh Division took a cheap shot when the rest of Soul Society finally bothered to show up."

"When your inner hollow takes over, do you not remember anything that it does? Any of its actions?" Sasuke asked.

Ichigo's brow furrowed. "No, I—wait a minute. Are you saying that _I_ did this?"

"Well…yeah," Sasuke said. "But listen, I don't blame you or anything. It wasn't your fault."

Ichigo paled. "Not my fault? I'm the reason you nearly died from blood loss, how the hell is that not my fault?" He shook his head. "I just—I can't believe—I'm so sorry."

"Really," Sasuke said quickly, "it's no big deal."

"It is to me!" Ichigo yelled, spinning away to face the wall. His fists were clenched like he wanted to punch through it. "I can't believe I let myself lose control so easily. That it resulted in me harming you. Hell, I nearly killed you, and you're supposed to be able to trust me!"

Ichigo's fist lashed out and hit the wall. Silence stretched out a second too long, and he withdrew his fist without meeting Sasuke's eyes. "Shit. Sorry, I just—look, I can't do this right now. I gotta go take a walk."

Ichigo stormed out of the room, shoulders tense. He obviously needed time to cool off. Sasuke could understand his frustration. Even though he had changed his goals, his motivation, Sasuke still felt the remnants of the hatred inside of him, the temptation of that familiar, almost comforting state of mind which pushed him to stay on the offensive all of the time, because that was the best way never to be hurt again. It would never fully go away, he knew, because in many ways, it was much easier than caring.

The door burst open, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts, and Rukia entered the room, looking concerned.

"What's wrong with Ichigo? He completely ignored me and looked really upset. What did you guys talk about?"

Sasuke told Rukia about Ichigo's inner hollow taking over at the end of the fight, and that he didn't remember attacking Sasuke. As he explained, her concern turned to understanding. When he was finished, she told Sasuke about a similar incident that had occurred when Ichigo fought her brother, Byakuya.

"I guess the common denominator is that when the situation gets dire, that's when Ichigo becomes most vulnerable in getting taken over by his inner hollow," Sasuke theorized.

"That sounds correct." She chewed her lip, staring out the open door. "He can't let this upset him too much. That will only make it easier for his inner hollow to take control."

"Maybe there's something Urahara knows to help him maintain control of himself," Sasuke said.

"Perhaps," Rukia said. She tore her gaze away from the door and met his eyes. "For now, we should just let him cool off."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. He was surprised at the relief he felt, now that someone else knew about the problem. He stood up, ignoring his body's protests. "Am I allowed to explore? Or will I get apprehended the minute I try to leave this building?"

Rukia laughed softly. "I think you'll be all right. Everyone is too busy fixing what was damaged. Thankfully, no one sustained any major injuries when the buildings collapsed. It seems that Aizen prioritized flash over lethality."

"All right, then," Sasuke said. "I'm tired being cooped up in one place. I'm itching to stretch my legs. I won't cause any more damage, I promise."

"Try to include yourself in that promise, because at this point, I'm more worried about that than you damaging some random building," she said dryly. Then she gave an apologetic shrug. "I'd join you, but I promised my brother that I'd meet him for lunch."

"Okay. See you later, then," Sasuke replied, walking out of the room.

"See you!" Rukia said, taking off in the opposite direction.

Sasuke took a few wrong turns down the unfamiliar hallways before finally locating the entrance. Honestly, he was looking forward to having some time to himself to gather his thoughts and be alone for a little while. Sasuke was a solitary person. Sure, he had had teammates, but he rarely ever participated in events that didn't relate directly to missions or his own personal objectives. His family's murder had taught him the bitter lesson of how to survive on his own. Relying on other people was not something that came naturally to him.

Sasuke sucked in the fresh air as he exited the building. He never took the outdoors, or sunlight, for granted anymore. Being underground for so long could do that to a person.

"Ahem."

Sasuke heard someone clear their throat, and turned to the source of the noise. A boy was leaning against the building he was just in. He vaguely remembered seeing him when he and Ichigo had first encountered captains after their failed attempt to escape. That couldn't be right though, he couldn't be a captain. He was a kid.

"Can I help you?" Sasuke asked.

"Doubtful," the kid said in a casually dismissive way that immediately set his teeth on edge. "Did you think you would be allowed to just roam Soul Society after having such serious charges placed on you?"

Sasuke frowned at him. "I was told by Rukia that most captains believe me to be no threat, since I fought with Ichimaru Gin and his subordinates."

"True, but that doesn't mean you're trustworthy. Captain Commander Yamamoto wants you under surveillance. I was the lucky person to get assigned to the job."

Judging by his tone Sasuke could tell he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Wait, are you telling me that you're here to babysit me?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"Correct."

"This has to be some joke," Sasuke said. "You're a damn kid, for crying out loud."

The boy fixed him with a laser-sharp glare of concentrated hostility. "I happen to be a captain."

"Bullshit. Did someone put you up to this? Rukia, I bet," Sasuke said.

"My name is Hitsugaya Toushiro, _Captain_ of the Tenth Division. This is not some prank. I may look young to you, but that is hardly the case in a place like Soul Society."

His words were short and concise, and although he didn't actually _end_ his sentence with "you moron," it was more than implied in his tone. Obviously, Sasuke had struck a nerve with the kid, but he wasn't exactly thrilled about this whole situation either. It seemed like the kid was telling the truth, though. Was he really as powerful as the other captains?

"So, what? You're a child prodigy or something?" Sasuke asked.

"I've been called that, yes," Hitsugaya replied.

"And you have to escort me wherever I go?"

"Yes," Hitsugaya said, visibly annoyed. "Are you finished, or do you have more questions you feel the need to ask me twice?"

It was Sasuke's turn to bristle. This kid had some nerve. He was tempted to just make a break for it and not deal with this at all, but the dull pain that throbbed from his injuries forced him to reconsider.

"Fine," Sasuke said, his voice strained. "Where will we be going?"

"Where do you want to go?" Hitsugaya asked impatiently.

"I don't care," Sasuke said stubbornly, crossing his arms.

Hitsugaya studied him for a moment. "Then I know a place we can go."

* * *

"Where are we?" Sasuke asked.

They were in room. Actually, it looked more like an office, now that he thought about it. The walk here from the hospital wing had been completely silent. Sasuke was annoyed that he had to be escorted at all times, and he didn't appreciate the implication that he was an idiot for asking a few questions. People like that always got the silent treatment from him, childish as it may sound. Fair's fair—his escort _was_ a kid, after all.

"This is my office," Hitsugaya replied. "Since you had no preference over where we went, I decided I may as well get some paperwork done while I look after you."

Sasuke contemplated his sudden urge to kick the wall. Unfortunately, he'd made that promise to Rukia. "Let me get this straight. I have to stay here while you do paperwork?"

Hitsugaya tilted his head. "Do you have a listening comprehension problem, or do you just like repeating what I say in question form? If the former, then, yes, that's what I said."

Sasuke's fingers twitched for kunai knives that he wasn't carrying. He counted to ten silently, then threw himself down on the only couch that was in the room. Great. He'd traded from being cooped up in a hospital room to being cooped up in an office with a little brat. It was a lateral move, at best. This kid was pushing all of his buttons, and they hadn't even spoken that much.

"Oi! Captain Hitsugaya! Are you in here?"

The door swung open, and a women entered the room. She wore the same outfit as every other shinigami, only hers seemed to be modified in such a way that her enormous breasts were basically about to fall out. Sasuke felt like a pervert, but how could you look at this woman and not have your eyes drawn immediately to her breasts? She was flaunting them in a way that obviously said she wanted people to be looking. Sasuke wasn't sure who had bigger breasts, her or Tsunade. It was a close call.

"Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya said severely. At least he was an equal opportunity brat. "Where have you been? You were supposed to have all of this paperwork filed already!"

"I'm sorry, captain! I was a little preoccupied," Matsumoto apologized.

Hitsugaya sighed. "That's always your excuse."

Sasuke shifted on the couch, attracting Matsumoto's attention. "Oh? Who do we have here?"

"This is Uchiha Sasuke, the boy who was accused of being a spy," Hitsugaya said.

Sasuke stood abruptly, feel himself nearing some limit of self-control. "_Boy_? Who the hell do you think you are, calling me a boy?"

"Oh, forget about him. He's always grumpy," Matsumoto said with a dismissive wave in Hitsugaya's direction. "It's nice to meet you! I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, Lieutenant of the Tenth Division."

Sasuke shook Matsumoto's hand, and she wasted no time plopping down next to him on the couch. His eyes were drawn inescapably to her chest while she poured some liquid into a cup and proceeded to hand it to him. He looked up guiltily.

"You look like you could use this," she said, placing the cup into his hand.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"A little something to take the edge off," Matsumoto replied.

Sasuke glanced back at the clear liquid. He had taken painkilling medicine earlier that day, but it was true, his chest and stomach still ached with a dull pain when he moved. He'd thought he'd managed to keep if off his face, but apparently not. This looked nothing like the painkillers Unohaha had given him, but nothing was normal in this place.

Enough time had passed that Matsumoto was giving him a quizzical look. He gave an apologetic shrug and downed it in a single gulp.

He fought to keep the surprise off his face when it burned as it went down his throat. He didn't particularly care for the taste, either. Too much sweetener added in an attempt to make it palatable. While he waited for it to kick in, Sasuke looked over at Hitsugaya across the room. He was ignoring them both completely, focusing intently on the stacks of paperwork that covered his desk. Some were so high you couldn't even see his head over them.

"Have another," Matsumoto said, pouring more into his empty cup.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, but downed it a second time. The liquid went down easier this time. He experienced a moment of pure confusion as he watched Matsumoto drink out of her own cup, since she didn't look injured. Maybe hers just weren't visible to the eye. He caught his eyes this time before they could drop to the part of her anatomy that most certainly was visible, but he still felt a flush creep over his face.

The next few couple minutes seemed to fly by. The dull throbbing pain that Sasuke had been feeling all day had nearly vanished. He was impressed in spite of himself; this stuff was fast-acting. It couldn't be pure medicine, more likely some kind of herb-based tonic, but it definitely did the trick.

When Matsumoto poured the both of them another cup, and he drank without missing a beat. His whole body was kind of hot, and his thoughts felt slow, but the side effects weren't entirely unpleasant. He felt…good. Loose and relaxed. His injuries didn't bother him at all now. Hitsugaya didn't even bother him, anymore.

Every time he looked down at his cup it was filled again. Sasuke had lost count of how he'd had. He looked over at Matsumoto. She looked as relaxed as he was, though her face looked a little flushed.

"This stuff is amazing," Sasuke said, his words sounding strange to him.

"Yeah, it's the best!" Matsumoto exclaimed, sprawling out onto the couch.

Sasuke had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom, and stood up from the couch. Everything felt like it was spinning, though, and he sat back down. Actually, it was more like he fell back down onto the couch.

"Matsumoto," Sasuke said, his words slurred.

"What is it, Sas—Sasuke?" she asked, hiccupping.

"I really need to pee, like really bad."

"I'll take you!" Matsumoto yelled, grabbing Sasuke's arm and pulling him up off of the couch.

Everything was spinning again, and Sasuke had to lean on Matsumoto to stay upright, though she wasn't very sturdy either. They left the office, and Sasuke heard no protests from Hitsugaya.

Matsumoto showed him to the bathroom, and Sasuke went in. After taking care of business, he looked at himself in the mirror, grabbing onto the counter for support. His face looked flushed, like Matsumoto's.

"Sasuke! Come on! I'll give you a tour!"

Sasuke exited the bathroom and was pulled away immediately by Matsumoto. Though his thoughts were sluggish, a part of him was still capable of putting two plus two together and eventually coming up with four.

"Hey, Matsumoto," Sasuke said, "that stuff wasn't medicine, was it?"

She giggled and ruffled his hair, which normally would have annoyed him. "No, silly! It was sake."

Sasuke couldn't bring himself to care that he had somehow mistaken alcohol for medicine. He'd never had it before, so it wasn't like he could have known what it tasted like. Right now he felt too good, and it was like the part of him that rationalized this sort of thing was gone. He just didn't care.

"I've never had alcohol before," Sasuke said.

"You haven't?" Matsumoto sounded indignant on his behalf. "It's soooo good."

"I know, I know. But I'm underage, so don't tell anyone," Sasuke said, putting a finger to his lips.

"I won't tell, I promise! I was drinking before I came and visited you and Hitsugaya, so I'm a little drunk right now," Matsumoto said, giggling again.

"I think I'm drunk, too!" Sasuke replied, a goofy grin forming on his face.

"Wow, you must be a real lightweight, then."

For some reason that struck him as hilarious. He doubled over with laughter, which did hurt a little, so he leaned on her again. "I think I am!"

"Hey." She tugged on his sleeve. "Hey, look over there! You see those two guys walking? They're both captains. The white-haired guy is Ukitake Jushiro, and the other guy is Kyoraku Shunsui. Ukitake is sick almost all the time, and Kyoraku is kind of a pervert. He hits on women all the time."

Sasuke was hit with the urge to volunteer some information himself. "I know a guy who's a pervert. He used to be my old sensei. He always has these dirty books with him and he reads them all the time."

"Let's go over and say hi!" Matsumoto said, pulling on Sasuke's arm.

Sasuke shook his head. "We can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I can't let anyone know I'm drunk. That would be really bad. I've never gotten drunk before," Sasuke explained.

"Just don't say anything, you'll be fine," Matsumoto said.

Matsumoto grabbed his arm again and began to walk towards the two captains. Sasuke was having trouble focusing on either of them. The more they walked around, the more jumbled his thoughts became. He couldn't stop himself from saying stupid things. It's like he lost control of his mouth.

"Hey! Captain Ukitake! Captain Kyoraku!" Matsumoto waved them over.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, how are you?" Ukitake said.

She flashed a wide smile. "I'm good! Just giving Sasuke here the tour."

"You're that boy—"

"Whoa, whoa, let me cut you off there," Sasuke said. "I'm really sick of people calling me a boy. A boy hasn't seen half the shit that I've seen. A boy didn't have his family murdered in front of him when he was eight years old. I may be sixteen but I'm no boy."

"You contradicted yourself," Kyoraku said, confused.

Sasuke blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Forget about it, Sasuke," Matsumoto said, interrupting the conversation.

"Matsumoto, have the two of you been drinking?" Ukitake asked.

"No, no, no…nope," Sasuke said, popping the 'p' at the end. "Not me. I'm awesome right now."

Ukitake frowned. "Is that so? Matsumoto, let go of Sasuke's arm."

Sasuke pulled away from Matsumoto. "You don't believe me? See? I'm fine."

Unfortunately, he quickly found after losing his support that the spinning was too much, and then he was sitting on his ass all of the sudden.

"I meant to do that," Sasuke said, pulling himself up with great difficulty.

An arm grabbed him and lifted him up. Sasuke looked up at Kyoraku, who looked much more amused than Ukitake did at the moment.

"Matsumoto said you're a pervert. It's all right, though, 'cause my former sensei was one, too," Sasuke blurted out.

"Sasuke, be quiet!" Matsumoto shushed him.

"Why don't we take you back to where you're supposed to be," Kyoraku said. He raised an eyebrow at Matsumoto. "Which is?"

"If you don't know, then I'm not telling you. Just don't take me back to Hitsugaya's office. It was so boring there," Sasuke complained.

And then somehow they were back at the office. How did that happen? Hitsugaya was there, and so were Rukia and Byakuya. Kyoraku still held onto his arm, and he looked over and saw Matsumoto with Ukitake.

"Sasuke!" Rukia exclaimed. "There you are."

"Hey, Rukia! And hey, it's your brother, Byakuya. You know, your brother actually reminds me a lot of my brother. They're both so smug and arrogant. Although I'm not sure how much of it was an act whenever I encountered Itachi." He felt a small frown pull at his face before the good cheer returned. "That's another story, though that I won't bore you with the details."

"What happened to him?" Rukia asked, but she seemed to be talking to someone else.

"It seems as though Matsumoto thought it would be a good idea to offer Sasuke sake," Ukitake replied.

Rukia shot him a startled glance. "Sasuke, are you drunk?"

"It depends on your definition of drunk," he said reasonably. "I'm just expressing my opinions right now, and if that means I'm drunk then, yeah, I'm really drunk. Which is a really funny word when you say it over and over. Drunk, drunk—"

"Matsumoto! What were you _thinking_?" Hitsugaya yelled.

"What?" Matsomoto said, crossing her arms defensively and nearly setting her breasts free. Sasuke swallowed an inappropriate laugh. "He looked like he could use a drink. It really wasn't that much. He's a lightweight."

The spinning sensation that Sasuke had earlier was getting more and more intense. Sasuke could hear his name being spoken as everyone around him argued. The pleasant feeling remained, but he was really starting to feel nauseous. Everyone needed to stop arguing, fast, because it was making everything worse.

Sasuke gave an unsteady swallow. He was feeling sick now. Sasuke tried to pull away from Kyoraku, but the hold on his arm was too tight. Someone was standing in front of him. He wanted to warn them to get out of the way, but it was too late.

Bile rose from Sasuke's stomach to his throat and onto the floor. It didn't cover just the floor, however, but someone's feet as well. Sasuke looked up at Byakuya, who looked like he wanted to murder Sasuke at that exact moment.

"Oops," Sasuke said apologetically.

He was making a great impression so far.

* * *

Sasuke was back in his hospital room. After the incident that could only be politely called a catastrophe, he had been taken back to his room where he was given an IV to help sober him up faster. He almost wished he didn't remember what had happened, or the things he had said to people. Especially when he had thrown up on Byakuya. Not only was it severely embarrassing, how easily he had succumbed to the effects of alcohol, he now had upset quite a few people.

The worst part was that throughout all of this Ichigo had been absent the whole time. Nobody knew where he was.

He had to go find Ichigo. They needed to talk about what had happened. Ichigo had been too upset to listen earlier; Sasuke had to make him understand that he didn't blame Ichigo at all. This wasn't the first time he'd been hurt by a friend who wasn't entirely himself. When he had battled Naruto so long ago, on his way to join Orochimaru, he had seen a glimpse of what happened when the kyuubi took over, fueled by Naruto's emotions. Both were similar in that they were triggered by anger.

Anger. Such a powerful emotion. Sasuke knew that much.

No one had been around to check on Sasuke for some time now. He knew just getting up and leaving wasn't going to go over well with a lot of people, but Sasuke didn't care. He'd never been one to follow the rules.

There was a guard posted at the end of the hall, but he was no match for shinobi stealth. Sasuke evaded him and two more as he made his way to the exit. Once outside, he tried to figure out his next step for locating Ichigo. He could try to find his chakra signature, but Sasuke wasn't sure if Ichigo had one. Spiritual energy was different from chakra. Sasuke was able to feel spiritual energy to some degree, but to single it out specifically for one person was impossible for him right now. He would just have to rely on his tracking skills alone.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Sasuke's back was to the person who spoke, so thankfully they didn't see him cringe painfully, both at his slip in attention and at the identity of the speaker, who was absolutely the last person he wanted to encounter right now. Someone, somewhere must really hate him. Or maybe this was years' worth of bad karma coming due all at once.

"I need to find Ichigo," Sasuke replied, turning around to face Byakuya.

"Are you certain you feel capable of that?" Byakuya asked, voice frosty. "It appears to me that you are too weakened for such an…exhausting endeavor. Though I suppose it's to be expected from someone who can't even hold his own liquor."

Sasuke scowled. He could understand Byakuya's current malice towards him, but to damage his pride further was just plain cruel.

"He's been gone for a long time. I need to speak with him. So if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way," Sasuke said, preparing to walk past Byakuya.

An outstretched hand kept him from going any further.

"Contrary to what my less attentive peers may have led you to believe, you are not allowed to simply wander whenever and wherever you desire. After your…unfortunate incident this afternoon, I am now in charge of monitoring you and your whereabouts," Byakuya said.

"Well, I'm going this way," Sasuke said, jerking his head in the intended direction. "Feel free to follow me."

Byakuya studied him with an unreadable expression. "And if I informed you that you are not allowed to roam Soul Society at all?"

"Then I'd say too bad, because I'm going this way," Sasuke replied, and without another word, leapt onto the roof of the nearest building.

Sasuke knew that Byakuya wasn't too far behind him as he began leaping from rooftop to rooftop. He had been trying to intimidate Sasuke, but it wasn't going to work on him. Byakuya was too much like Itachi. It made Sasuke uneasy thinking about all the similarities. In his drunken stupor, he was pretty sure that he mentioned it to him, even.

Sasuke winced at the memory. Probably the worst was letting it slip to people he didn't even know how his family was murdered. At least he hadn't mentioned anything vitally important. That was the only consolation.

Sasuke cleared his mind. What's done was done. He couldn't change anything now. What was important was for him to find Ichigo.

Closing his eyes, Sasuke tried to focus on finding some kind of energy signature to link with Ichigo. He had sparred enough times with Ichigo that he had a pretty good feel for his unique spiritual energy. He just wasn't sure he could find it the same way someone might sense chakra.

"You are having trouble locating Kurosaki," Byakuya observed.

Sasuke opened his eyes and shot him an irritated look. "You have a knack for stating the obvious."

"Curious. Hitsugaya says the same of you." Ignoring Sasuke's angry flush, he stared into the distance. "I could tell you where he is."

"I'm sure you could. The real question, however, is _would_ you tell me," Sasuke said.

Byakuya made a sound of approval. "Perhaps you aren't as intellectually stunted as I have been led to assume."

Sasuke chose not to comment. It would do him no good to piss off Byakuya any more than he already had. All of the retorts he had formulated in his head in response to the particular statement would only make the situation worse.

Focus. He needed to focus.

Sasuke might not be able find Ichigo through conventional methods, but that didn't mean he couldn't try other methods. He had a pretty good grasp on Ichigo's personality, what kind of a guy he was. If Ichigo wanted to go somewhere to be alone to think, where would he go?

Sasuke looked at the center of Soul Society, observing the lone mountainous hill amidst all of the tall buildings.

"What is that?" Sasuke said, pointing to the mountain.

"Sokyoku Hill. It's where executions are carried out for the more established members of Soul Society."

Sasuke recognized the name now. Ichigo had mentioned it when he was telling Sasuke about Rukia's halted execution. That was where it had been held. If Ichigo were to go anywhere to blow off some steam or be alone to think, Sasuke thought Sokyoku Hill sounded like an excellent possibility.

Changing direction, Sasuke headed towards the center of Soul Society, hoping that his intuition proved right.


End file.
